DIVISION OF 


VOC AT\0 NA L EDUCATION 

PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES 

6,7,8,9,10 

1921 - 1922 







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DIVISION OF 

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VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 


PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES 

6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 


1921-1922 


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library of congress 

RECC'VKO - 

JUN 4 1924 


DOCUMENTS OlVlSIOM 


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CONTENTS 

Part-time Education Series, No. 6. An Analysis of Clerical Posi¬ 
tions for Juniors in Railway Transportation. 

Part-time Education Series, No. 7. Selected Reading List for 
Administrators and Teachers in Part-time Schools. 

Part-time Education Series, No. 8, Part-time and Continuation 
Schools Abroad—Reprints. 

Part-time Education Series, No. 9. Recreational Reading for Part- 
time and Continuation Schools. 

Part-time Education Series, No. 10. The Work of Juniors in the 
Telegraph Service. 





























































































































































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PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES, No. 6 


BULLETIN No. 5 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER 

FOR 

PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


AN ANALYSIS OF 

CLERICAL POSITIONS FOR JUNIORS 
IN RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION 


By R. E. BERRY 


ISSUED BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

IN COOPERATION WITH 

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
AUGUST, 1921 


FOREWORD 


This is the third of a series of studies of junior positions in com¬ 
mercial occupations, made by the Research and Service Center of the 
Division of Vocational Education. The study includes an analysis 
of the clerical work of junior employees in twenty positions in the 
general offices of the Southern Pacific Company, San Francisco. The 
analyses as presented in the bulletin will not only be useful to those 
who are engaged in the education of young workers in railroad offices, 
throughout the state, but will be suggestive to teachers of youths 
employed in similar fields as a guide in making similar studies in 
other fields of employment. 

The data for this bulletin were collected by Mr. R. E. Berry, 
Associate Professor of Commerce in the University of Wyoming, on 
leave of absence. The study was directed and edited by Miss Emily 
G. Palmer, Special Agent for Training Part-time Teachers, University 
of California. 

Robert J. Leonard, 

Director, Division of Vocational Education, University of California. 


T'C'H 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction. 6 

Part One 

ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 
Four Positions Common to Many Departments. 

Messenger. 11 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 11 

II. Duties. 11 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 12 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 14 

Office Boy. 15 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 15 

II. Duties. 15 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 17 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 19 

File Clerk... 20 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 20 

II. Duties. 20 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 21 

IV. Promotional Possibilities..... 22 

Stenographer. 23 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 23 

II. Duties. 23 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 24 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 24 

Three Positions Connected with the Passenger Service 

Ticket Stock Room Clerk. 25 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 25 

II. Duties. 25 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 28 

IV. Promotional Possibilities...,.. 30 

Advertising Stock Room Clerk. 30 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 30 

II. Duties. 31 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 33 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 35 

Junior Claims Clerk. 36 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 36 

II. Duties. . 36 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 39 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 40 






































Positions Connected with the Freight Service page 

Junior Waybill Clerk. 41 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 41 

II. Duties. 41 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 42 

IV. Promotional Possibilities... 44 

Three Positions Connected with the Auditing of Passenger Accounts 

Sorter of Local Tickets. 45 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job'.•. 45 

II. Duties... 45 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 46 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 47 

Ticket Sorter and Checker (Home Interline Bureau). 48 

I. General Facts Concerning the .Job. 48 

II. Duties. 48 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 51 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 53 

Tally Clerk (Foreign Interline Bureau). 54 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 54 

II. Duties. 54 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 58 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 60 

Four Positions Connected with the Auditing of Freight Accounts 

Carbon Clerk. 61 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 61 

II. Duties.. 61 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 62 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 63 

Waybill Arranging Clerk. 63 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 63 

II. Duties. 63 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 65 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 66 

Checking Clerk (Tracing Bureau). 67 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 67 

II. Duties. 67 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 69 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 71 

Junior Clerk in Rechecking Bureau. 72 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 72 

II. Duties. 72 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 74 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 76 

Two Positions Connected with the Treasury Department 

Assistant Indemnity Bond Clerk. 77 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 77 

II. Duties. 77 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 78 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 79 















































PAGE 


Distribution Clerk. 80 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 80 

II. Duties. 80 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 82 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 83 

Three Positions Not Open to Juniors 

Manifest Clerk (General Freight Office). 84 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 84 

II. Duties. 84 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 85 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 85 

Indemnity Bond Clerk (Treasury Department). 86 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 86 

II. Duties. 86 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 87 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 87 

Garnishment Clerk (Treasury Department). 88 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job. 88 

II. Duties. 88 

III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units. 90 

IV. Promotional Possibilities. 90 


Part Two 

SUGGESTIVE TEACHING MATERIAL 


Background Topics. 91 

Corporations. 91 

Economics and Geography. 91 

Transportation Charges. 92 

Railroad Regulation... 92 

Business Law. 93 

Related History. 94 

Railroad Documents. 94 

Growth of Large Railroad Systems. 94 

Local Railroad Development. 94 

Biographies of Well-known Railroad Men... 94 

The State Industrial Welfare Commission... 95 

The State Industrial Accident Commission. 96 

Health and Hygiene. 96 

Business Ethics and Decorum. 96 

Citizenship. 96 

Sample Lesson Plans. 97 

I. The Shipping Order and Waybill. 97 

II. Geography. 98 

III. The Passenger Ticket. 98 

IV. Correspondence. 99 

V. Law. 100 

VI. The Corporation. 100 

VII. Transportation Charges... 102 

Railroad Transportation Terms. 103 

Books and Magazines. 104 
















































INTRODUCTION 


The development of the Western States of this country is due 
largely to the transportation facilities offered by the railroads. Both 
the economic and political development of the Western region has 
been immeasurably influenced by the transportation facilities. 

The work involved in the service of transportation is scarcely 
realized by the purchaser of a railroad ticket or the holder of a bill of 
lading. In the division offices of a railroad hundreds of clerks must 
check, sort, trace, classify, study, interpret, and file the records neces¬ 
sary for every transaction. Among the clerks so employed there are 
many girls and boys between the ages of fifteen and twenty. 

The study of clerical work included in this bulletin was undertaken 
for the purpose of giving teachers and others interested in the educa¬ 
tion of employed youths detailed information in regard to the work 
performed by junior clerks in the general offices of a large railroad 
and in regard to the training necessary for their work. 

For several reasons it was decided to limit the study to junior 
clerical positions in the Southern Pacific Railroad offices; in the first 
place, the company is large and has a typical railroad organization; 
in the second place, it employes many bo} r s and girls between the 
ages of fifteeen and twenty; and in the third place, all of its central 
administrative offices are located in one city. 

The analyses of the various junior positions were made by con¬ 
sulting with officials and heads of bureaus, by observing and cpiestion- 
ing workers, .and by a limited amount of actual participation in the 
work. The analyses were then revised and corrected by further obser¬ 
vation and conference. The courtes}^ and cooperation of the officials 
and employees of the Southern Pacific Company made the study 
possible. 

Railroad Organization 

A railroad company, like other corporations, is owned by its stock¬ 
holders, often numbering as many as fifty thousand, who elect a 
board of directors to control the corporation for them. The board 
of directors in turn elects a president, various vice-presidents, a sec¬ 
retary, a treasurer, a general auditor, and a legal counselor. These 
officials are necessary in any corporation, no matter what the nature 
of its business. 


INTRODUCTION 


7 


The fact that the corporation is a railroad company makes neces¬ 
sary a special organization, within the general organization, to 
perform the functions of transportation. The special part of the 
railroad organization which is concerned directly with transportation 
is divided into two large departments, the Operating Department and 
the Traffic Department, each of which is divided into several branches 
for purposes of efficient administration. 

The Operating Department, under the General Manager, has 
various subsidiary departments. The Roadway Department, one of 
these subsidiary departments, provides and maintains in good con¬ 
dition the roadway and all physical property connected with the line. 
The Machinery Department, another branch department, provides 
and maintains locomotives and cars for traffic. The Transportation 
Department performs the work of moving passengers and freight. 

The Traffic Department conducts the financial and business affairs 
of the railroad company. It classifies traffic, determines charges, 
handles claims of passengers and shippers, solicits business and 
endeavors to increase the traffic and earnings of the company. This 
work is under the supervision of a Freight Traffic Manager, a Passen¬ 
ger Traffic Manager, and a Mail Traffic Manager. The first two of 
these officials are assisted by a General Freight Agent and a General 
Passenger Agent, respectively. 

A railroad requires a great variety of supplies for the operation 
and maintenance of its trains, roads and other physical property. 
For the purchase and distribution of these supplies it has a Purchasing 
Department, in charge of a Purchasing Agent. Under the Purchasing 
Agent are a General Storekeeper and various District Storekeepers, 
who keep the supplies of the railroad and distribute them upon the 
presentation of properly authorized requisitions. 

Under the Auditor are four departments in charge of the follow¬ 
ing officials, the Auditor of Freight Accounts, the Auditor of Passen¬ 
ger Accounts, the Auditor of Disbursement Accounts, and the Auditor 
of Miscellaneous Accounts, whose duties are indicated by their titles. 

Junior Positions 

Four of the junior positions analyzed in this bulletin—namely, 
Messenger, Office Boy, File Clerk, and Stenographer, are in many 
departments; hence in each case the list of duties as presented is a 
composite of the duties performed in several offices. 

The remaining thirteen junior positions which are analyzed in 
this bulletin are located in the various departments and offices as 


8 


INTRODUCTION 


follows: in the Passenger Traffic Department—Ticket Stock-room 
Clerk, Advertising Stock-room Clerk, and Junior Claims Clerk; in 
any large Freight Office—Junior Waybill Clerk; in the department 
under the Auditor of Passenger Accounts—Sorter of Local Tickets, 
Sorter and Checker of Home Interline Tickets, and Tally Clerk in the 
Foreign Interline Bureau; in the department under the Auditor of 
Freight Accounts—Carbon Clerk, Waybill Arranging Clerk, Check¬ 
ing Clerk, and Junior Clerk in the Rechecking Bureau; in the Treas¬ 
ury Department—Assistant Indemnity Bond Clerk and Distribution 
Clerk. 

Lastly, three positions are analyzed, being typical of a number to 
which juniors might be promoted. They are as follows: Manifest 
Clerk in the General Freight Office, Indemnity Bond Clerk and 
Garnishment Clerk, both in the Treasury Department. 

The Organization of the Study 

Part One of the bulletin contains analyses of the twenty positions 
just mentioned. The analysis of each job is divided into sections 
as follows: I. General Facts Concerning the Job; II. Duties; III. 
Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units; and IV. Pro¬ 
motional Possibilities. 

Section I of each analysis contains a number of facts about the 
occupation including a statement as to the department and bureau 
in which it is found, the approximate length of time required to learn 
the duties, and the necessary qualifications for undertaking the work. 

Section II contains a detailed, classified list of the regular duties 
of the worker while on the job; in a few instances occasional duties 
have also been listed. A large volume of work in the railroad offices 
has to be done on schedule time. It has therefore been necessary to 
assign each worker certain regular tasks to which he usually devotes 
his entire time. Often several clerks will be occupied with the same 
work, dividing it by mutual agreement or as directed by the head 
clerk. In such cases, where a number of clerks were found employed 
on the same job, the analysis has been made as though one clerk were 
performing all the duties. 

By a study of each duty or task connected with an occupation 
the requisite knowledge on the part of the worker was determined. 
Section III contains a statement of this body of knowledge, arranged 
in blocks or units of instruction. These instructional units have been 
divided into two groups: (1) Direct Value Units and (2) Supple¬ 
mentary Units. The Direct Value Units are those elements of knowl- 


INTRODUCTION 


9 


edge required for the efficient performance of the duties connected 
with the job; the Supplementary Units are subjects which will give 
the worker a broader view of his job, a deeper insight into the relation 
of his work to that of the department, and a clearer understanding 
of the reasons back of the particular work in which he has a share. 

Section IV suggests promotional possibilities for the worker. The 
lines of promotion named in each case are merely a few of the many 
lines which might be followed. In departments consisting of several 
bureaus, promotion may come either by advancement to a more 
remunerative position in the same bureau, or by transfer to a better 
position in any one of the other bureaus in the department. Pro¬ 
motion is usually within the department in which the worker begins 
his service. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, and in some 
cases promotion will be from one department to an entirely different 
department. By consulting Section III of the job next in the line 
of promotion, the units of training necessary to prepare for advance¬ 
ment to that job may be found. 

There is comparatively little opportunity for advancement for 
girls in railroad work aside from that connected with typewriting, 
stenography, comptometry, and other machine work. But for the 
boy who has initiative, is willing to work and learn, and who will 
“keep his eyes and ears open,” there are many opportunities for 
advancement to important and responsible positions. Even the young 
man who has in mind a career in the field of commerce or industry 
will find the training received in a railroad office of great preparatory 
value. 

Part Two of the bulletin lists topics for discussion and instruction 
in regard to railroad transportation. Topics of two kinds are sug¬ 
gested for study, those which are intended to give the worker a wider 
knowledge of the railroad business as a service to the country and 
as a factor in its development, and those which are intended to, show 
the worker his responsibility as a wage earner and as a citizen. A 
list of railroad topics, related history, related citizenship and health 
topics, questions of business ethics and decorum, and related economics 
and geography, a list of transportation terms, sample lesson plans, 
and a reading list of books and magazines dealing with the question 
of railroad transportation are among the topics included as Back¬ 
ground Teaching Material. 


10 


INTRODUCTION 


The Purpose of the Study 

A large number of boys and girls at present engaged in clerical 
work in railroad offices, come under the part-time act; for this reason 
the bulletin is written with the hope that vocational counselors, 
coordinators, and teachers will find the study helpful. Counselors 
will find it useful when advising with boys and girls who may wis 
to enter upon railroad clerical work. Part One of the bulletin will 
give them a detailed picture of the entering jobs and indicate some 

of the qualities necessary for success. 

Coordinators in part-time or evening schools will find the study a 
source of information as to the exact nature of the work performed 
by juniors in the offices of railroad companies. After visiting the 
offices and adding to or altering the analyses to suit changed con¬ 
ditions, and after consulting with the railroad officials in regard to 
the part of the instruction which may be given best by the school, 
they will be in a position to help teachers in their efforts to correlate 

instruction with the occupation. 

The teacher will find listed the instructional units for training a 
young worker in his present position with the company or in prepar¬ 
ing him for promotion. Practice in railroad offices is changing more 
or less all the time, therefore the list of duties and the necessary 
instruction must he kept up to date. To make it possible to change 
the list of duties and the corresponding instructional units, spaces 
have been left for additional material at the end of each section of 
each of the analyses. With a background of experience in railroad 
office work, the teacher will be able to interpret the analyses in the 
light of his experience and develop the instructional units into a series 
of lesson plans such as are suggested in Part Two. 

Unless the teacher is training a young employee for work in a 
particular office he will probably find the greater part of the instruc¬ 
tional material listed under the Supplementary Units and the Back¬ 
ground Topics. Much of the knowledge of direct value must be gained 
on the job. However, the schools may give much instruction which 
will be of profit to the youth both as a present or prospective employee 
of the railroad and as a citizen. 

With a spirit of cooperation and assistance between the school 
authorities and the railroad companies, much could be done to pre¬ 
pare young workers for employment with railroad companies, to 
increase the efficiency of workers already in the employ of the com¬ 
pany, and to help prepare them for promotion. 


MESSENGER 


11 


PART ORE 

ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


MESSENGER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: various departments in railroad offices. 

Length of learning period: two weeks to a month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: fifteen years or older. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: dependability, promptness, alertness, 
courtesy, willingness to work. 

Educational qualifications: grammar school. 

II. Duties 

(As outside messenger.) 

At stated hours during the day, collect the outgoing mail from the 
various desks in the office. 

Sort this mail according to the route to be travelled. 

Put mail in bundles in bag or satchel, in the order of the places to be 
visited. 

Take mail to the proper offices and to the proper officials in these 
offices, following a certain route and maintaining a certain time 
schedule. 

Collect, at each place visited, mail for own office and for other offices 
on the route. 

Distribute mail to the proper desks in own office. 

{As inside messenger.) 

At stated hours during the day, or when told to do so, take mail¬ 
carrying box and collect, from baskets on each desk, mail for other 
offices in the building. 

Place the mail for each office in the box under a loose cardboard index 
indicating the office to which, or the person to whom, the mail is 

to be taken. J j 



12 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Distribute the mail and at the same time collect at each office visited, 
mail for the office from which the messenger started. 

Distribute the mail belonging in the messenger’s own office. 

Put the mail delivery box away in the proper place. 

Attend to sending, receiving, and delivering mail to and from the 
central mailing bureau. 

(Other clerical duties.) 

Insert carbon sheets between the original and duplicate copies of 
various forms used in the office. 

Place these in neatly arranged piles and take them to the clerk who 
is to use them. 

Copy simple forms either on a typewriter or with pen or pencil. 

Do errand work for head clerk or other officer. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The company. 

Names of the company officials. 

The various departments of the company and their location. 

The department. 

Names of the department officers and employees, and the location 
of their desks. 

The nature of the work in the department and its allotment to 
various bureaus. 

The relation of the business of the department to that of other 
departments. 

Delivering outside mail. 

The location of the various buildings or offices to be visited. 

The route to be followed. 

The numbering system of the city. 

The time schedule to be observed. 

The importance of getting certain mail to its destination on time. 
The number of trips to be made daily. 


MESSENGER 


13 


Handling mail in the office. 

How to carry the mail conveniently and ^securely. 

The importance of sorting the mail carefully. 

How to sort the mail rapidly. 

How to arrange the mail in bag, satchel, or box for speed and 
convenience in delivering. 

How to operate the mail tubes to the mailing bureau. 

What mail should go to the central mailing bureau. 

What mail can not be sent through the tubes. 

What mail to collect and deliver at certain hours. 

The inconvenience caused by wrong deliveries of mail. 

Office clerical work. 

The various forms and blanks used in the office; their significance; 

what information they contain; how to fill them out. 

Where the office supplies are kept. 

How to insert carbon sheets neatly between original and duplicate 
copies. 

How to operate typewriter. (Not necessary but helpful.) 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The forms handled. 

The general nature of the forms carried from one place to another. 
The importance of the more common forms used in the office. 

Local geography. 

The name and location of the more important streets of the city. 
The numbering plan of the city. 

The location of the more important firms with which the company 
has business relations. 

The routes of the principal street car lines of the city. 

How to locate any given street with the aid of a map, the quickest 
route to the given address. 


Business courtesy. See page 18. 


14 


analysis of clerical positions 


English. 

Oral English in addressing business associates. 

The vocabulary of railroad terms, their meaning, use, pronuncia¬ 
tion, spelling. See list, page 103. 

Business writing. 

The necessity for legibility and neatness in railroad records. 

The part good penmanship plays in promotion. 

The large amount of transportation records written with pencil. 
How to write neatly and legibly. 


(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


There are many promotional possibilities open to the messenger, 
four of which are suggested below. The units of training which are 
necessary in preparing a messenger boy for promotion to a given job 
may be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of that job. 


1 


2 


One line of 'promotion 
From messenger to: 


Another line of promotion 


(a) Office boy. 

(b) File clerk. 


From messenger to: 
fa) Office boy. 

( b ) Stenographer. 


(c) Head file clerk. 


3 


(c) Assistant secretary to an 

official. 

(d) Secretary to the same 

official. 

4 


Another line of promotion 


Another line of promotion 


From messenger to: 
fa) Office boy. 


(6) Clerk in a bureau other 
than the filing bureau. 

(c) Head clerk of the same 

bureau. 

(d) Assistant chief clerkship. 


From messenger to: 

(a) Office boy. 

(b) File clerk. 


(c) Clerk in a more important 

bureau. 

(d) Head clerk of the same 

bureau. 

(e) Assistant chief clerk of the 

department. 

(f) Chief clerk of the same de¬ 

partment. 


OFFICE BOY 


15 


OFFICE BOY 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: railroad offices—all departments. 

Length of learning period: about two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: fourteen to eighteen. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, neatness, promptness, courtesy. 
Educational qualifications: grammar school. 

Nature of the work: 

The position of office boy or junior clerk is an entering position. 
The boy taking such a job is usually without previous experience. 
He is expected to act as messenger and errand boy for others in 
the office. Frequently he has a desk in the outer office where he 
can meet visitors and take their cards to the proper officials. He 
acts as mail carrier between his office and the central mailing 
bureau. In most offices he is expected to assist the file clerks and 
familiarize himself with the filing system used in the office. In 
many offices there are a number of such office boys, each with cer¬ 
tain duties to perform. This analysis makes no separation of such 
duties between different office boys, since in the smaller offices 
one boy may perform all of them. 


II. Duties 
(As mail boy.) 

Each morning when coming on dutjq and at stated times during the 
day, bring the incoming mail from the mail room to the office. 

Sign for the registered mail. 

Sort all mail according to the office personnel. 

Open all envelopes and remove contents. 

Read mail to determine to whom it should be delivered if the envelope 
does not reveal this. 

If envelopes contain more than one sheet of paper, or enclosures, 
attach all together with pin or clip. 

Stamp all communications in proper place with dating stamp. 

List all mail received according to amount and kind, and turn this 
list in at end of day to chief clerk or other designated person. 


16 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Distribute mail to the proper persons. 

Split all envelopes and open them to avoid overlooking any small 
enclosure. 

Enter in a book, provided for the purpose, a record of all registered 
mail. 

At stated times during the day, collect from the various desks the out¬ 
going mail and communications to other departments. 

Take the outgoing mail to the central mailing bureau. 

Distribute the communications to other departments, carrying them 
in a box reserved for that purpose. 

Before leaving, at end of day, be sure that no outgoing communications 

remain undelivered. 


(As tube tender.) 

Receive communications which come in through the tubes and take 
them to the proper person. 

Send communications through the tubes to other departments. 

(As messenger.) 

See list of duties of messenger boy. 

(As usher—in a feiv departments.) 

Greet visitor and inquire whom he wishes to see. 

Receive card and invite visitor to be seated. 

Take card to proper person. 

Return and inform visitor whether the person lie wishes to see is at 
liberty. 

Conduct visitor to the desk of the person he wishes to see. 

Express regret if the person asked for is not in the office. 

(As office hoy.) 

Change date daily on dating stamps. 

Perforate postage stamps. (Not done in all departments.) 

Bind office forms and records. (Not done in all departments.) 

Answer bells from the desks of the various clerks and go on errands 
for them. 

Assist file clerks in taking letters and documents from the files. 

Keep the office stationery neatly arranged in the cabinet used for that 
purpose. 

Keep an up-to-date inventory of the office stationery and notify the 
head clerk when more of any form should be procured. (Not done 
in all departments.) 


OFFICE BOY 


17 


(In freight office.) 

Collect from the desk of each clerk and take to the chief clerk the 
“work slips” showing amount and character of work done during 
previous day. 

Obtain a list of the station records needed during the day by each 
clerk. 

Go to the record room or the shelves where the record books are kept, 
find the designated books and take them to the proper clerks. 

Return these record books to the proper places when they are no longer 
needed. 

Copy delivery orders from freight bills. 

Get “scale tickets” from the company weigher. 

Attach each “scale ticket” to the corresponding freight waybill. 

Make up the duplicate tickets into small bundles for filing away. 

Return the freight waybills, with scale tickets attached, to the proper 
clerk. 

Go to the public weigh-master daily at a stated time and obtain from 
him a certificate of public scale weights of freight. 

Take certificate to proper clerk. 

Do errand work for various clerks upon request. 

(S'pace left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The company. 

The various departments of the company and their location. 

Names of the officers and the location of their offices. 

The department. 

Names of the employees in the department and the location of their 
desks. 

General nature of the work done by each employee in the bureau 
or department. 

The mail. 

Rapid and accurate sorting of mail. The importance of careful 
sorting. 

How to remove contents of envelopes. 

How to make inclosures in envelopes of various sizes and shapes. 


18 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Office appliances and supplies. 

How to change the date on various kinds of stamps. 

How to operate the stamp perforating machine, the tubes, the 
binding machine. 

How to keep an inventory of office stationery. 

When to collect and distribute the office supplies and records. 

Piling. 

The filing system used in the department. 

How to “dig up” material out of the file. 

How and where to number material to be filed. 

How to use a “charge out” card. 

How to use a “call up” card. 

« i • 

Local geography. 

How to locate any given street and number. 

Location of the more important office buildings. 

Location of the more important firms with which the company 
has connections. 

{Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The department. 

General nature of the work of each bureau. 

The lines of promotion open to the office boy. 

Forms handled. 

Meaning and use of all forms handled. 

Their history from making to filing. i 

Business courtesy. 

The proper way to meet visitors and obtain information for them. 
The proper manner toward officials and business associates. 
Courtesy in receiving and repeating messages. 

The value of close attention to and interest in the tasks given. 


OFFICE BOY 


19 


English. 

_ • 

Oral English in addressing officials, fellow employees, and the 
public. 

Meaning, pronunciation, and spelling of railroad terms. 

Written English in making records and work reports. 

Penmanship. 

How to make neat, legible figures. 

How to write legibly and rapidly. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the office boy, 
two of which are suggested below. The units of training which are 
necessary in preparing an office boy for promotion to a given job may 
be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of that job. 


1 

One line of promotion 
From office boy to: 

(а) File clerk. 

(б) Head clerk of filing 

bureau. 


2 

Another line of promotion 
From office boy to: 

(<m) Ticket stock room clerk. 

(b) Advertising stock room 

clerk. 

(c) See advertising stock room 

clerk, Section IV. 


20 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


FILE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: railroad offices—all departments. 

Length of learning period: about one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: Sixteen years or older. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none, though vacancies are usually filled 
by office boys. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory, accuracy, neatness, 
promptness, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 

Nature of the work: 

It is the duty of the file clerk to attend to the filing of the corre¬ 
spondence, documents, and papers handled in the office in which 
he is employed. In the smaller offices the office boy (junior clerk) 
may attend to practically all of this work. In some of the larger 
offices the duties connected with the filing work are distributed 
among a number of clerks, one doing one particular task, one 
another; in other offices, one or two clerks may handle all the work 
of filing. 

II. Duties 

Open, sort, and read incoming mail (letters, telegrams, and other 
documents) to determine: 

(1) Subject dealt with, (2) file to which reference is made, and 
(3) person to whom it should be referred. 

Make out ‘ 1 call up 7 ’ cards, attaching one to correspondence and filing 
one. (These “call up” cards are filed in chronological order and 
serve as reminders that a file is to be called up for reference on 
a certain date.) 

“Dig up” files and match correspondence with files to which reference 
is made. 

Fill out a ‘ ‘ charge out ’ ’ card and insert it in place of material removed 
from the files. (This card shows when and to whom the material 
was taken and also who took it.) 

Bind telegrams, after sorting them according to date, in alphabetical 
order. 

File carbon copies of correspondence sent out. 

File all incoming correspondence according to the system in use in 
the particular office. 


FILE CLERK 


21 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The department. 

Names of the department officers and employees. 

The nature of the work in the department and its allotment to 
various bureaus. 

Filing. 

The filing system of the department, including the system of let¬ 
ters and numbers used and the significance of each letter and 
number. 

How to make a card index. 

How to ‘‘dig up” material from the files. 

How and where to number material to be filed. 

How to fill out a “charge out” card and why such card is neces¬ 
sary. 

How to fill out a “call up” card and why such card is necessary. 
Writing. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

How to make legible figures. 

English. 

Use, pronunciation, and spelling of transportation terms. 

How to address officials and fellow workers. 

Reading correspondence to determine filing subject. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 


Filing. 

How to file by geographical, alphabetical, and numerical systems. 
The use of the different systems of filing. 

How to make and use a card index. 


The material filed. 

The use of all forms handled. 

Why the forms filed are necessary. 


22 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


The value of careful but rapid reading to determine subject 
matter. 

The value of remembering transactions in order to find readily the 
material filed. 


(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


There are many promotional possibilities open to the file clerk, 
four of which are suggested below. The units of training which are 
necessary in preparing a file clerk for promotion along any of these 
lines may be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of the 
job next in line. 


1 


2 


One line of promotion 
From file clerk to: 

(,a) Head clerk in Filing 


Another line of promotion 


From file clerk to: 
(a) Kate clerk. 


Bureau. 

3 


(b) Head clerk of Kate Bureau. 
4 


Another line of promotion 


Another line of promotion 


From file clerk to: 


(ui) Comptometer operator. 

( b ) Head clerk of Compto- 


From file clerk to: 

(a) Claims clerk. 

(b) Head clerk of Claims 


meter Bureau. 


Bureau. 


STENOGRAPHER 


23 


STENOGRAPHER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Stenographic Bureau. 

Length of learning period: about one week if trained. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: usually not younger than seventeen. 

Sex: female. 

Special skill or training: stenography, typewriting, dictatyping. 
(One year’s previous experience usually required but not essen¬ 
tial.) 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, speed, neatness, promptness, 
courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: preferably at least two years in high 
school or the equivalent. 

II. Duties 

(In regard to personal correspondence.) 

Take, in shorthand, the correspondence of the clerk or official to whom 
assigned. 

Occasionally take other dictation. 

Transcribe stenographic notes. 

Prepare the correspondence for signature. 

Attend to the filing work connected with correspondence. 

(As dictatypist.) 

When not engaged with personal correspondence, transcribe the dicta¬ 
phone correspondence of various clerks as assigned by head clerk 
of the bureau. 

Prepare this correspondence for signature and place in tray for clerk. 

(As copyist.) 

As work is assigned by the head clerk of the bureau, prepare abstracts, 
orders, requisitions, and other forms. 

(In regard to the daily work report.) 

Make a record and daily report of the amount and character of the 
work and turn the report over to the head clerk of the bureau. 
Note. —The girls in the stenographic bureaus do not ordinarily 
have to make their own carbon 11 set-ups. ” This is done for them by 
another clerk to save time and money. The forms already set up are 
arranged in large quantities ready for instant use and placed on 
shelves. 


24 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The stenographic bureau. 

Method of organization and management. 

Relation to other bureaus in the department. 

Stenography. (Required only of girls who take personally dictated 
correspondence.) 

Accuracy and moderate speed. 

Typewriting. 

Neat, accurate, and rapid filling out of forms. 

Neat, accurate, and rapid transcription of notes. 

Good form and arrangement of letters and addresses. 

Dictatyping. 

Accuracy and speed in using the dictaphone. 

English. 

Correct grammatical English for business letters. 

The meaning, use, and spelling of railway terms. 

How to punctuate and paragraph a letter. 

How to address officers and business associates. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The office business. 

The general nature of the business handled by the clerks and 
officials using the stenographic bureau. 

Blanks and forms. 

The nature and use of abstracts, orders, requisitions, and other 
forms used in the office. 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

Except under unusual circumstances the only promotion open to the 
stenographer is to become head of the stenographic bureau. 


TICKET STOCK ROOM CLERK 


25 


TICKET STOCK ROOM CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: ticket stock room of general passenger depart¬ 
ment. 

Length of learning period: two weeks to one month. 

Entrance requirements : 

Age: sixteen to eighteen years. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none, though vacancies are often filled 
by promoting messenger boys or office boys. 

Personal qualifications: carefulness, alertness, manual dexterity, 
speed, promptness, dependability, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 

II. Duties 

(As ticket stock clerk.) 

LTnwrap the bundles or packages of tickets as they come from the 
printer. 

Make out a ticket stock check for each form, showing form number, 
and commencing and closing serial numbers of each allotment 
received. 

File each form in the drawer bearing its form number and place 
therein the ticket stock check. 

Receive ticket requisitions as they come in. 

Proceed with requisitions, ticket wagon, and blank stock checks to the 
ticket files. 

Obtain required number of tickets of each form; revise ticket stock 
check in the drawer according to the number of tickets removed 
therefrom; make out duplicate ticket stock check showing form 
number, commencing and closing numbers of tickets removed from 
each drawer; check each item on the requisition as it is filled; 
keep each ticket form separate by placing rubber band around it. 

Return with tickets on wagon; give original requisition to invoice 
clerk; put tickets on proper shelves or in proper drawers to await 
shipment, or on wrapping table if for immediate shipment. 

Put duplicate ticket stock check in box for head clerk. 

Increase or decrease requisition, if necessary, to keep number of 
tickets in each drawer ending in an even number. 

Make up daily work sheet for the room, showing number of requisi¬ 
tions received, number of shipments sent out, etc. 


26 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 

0 

Keep sample case of ticket forms. 

Assist in stamping or shipping tickets. 

Notify agent if form ordered is out of print and ask him to older 
another form. 

Keep copy of this notice till agent re-orders. 

Notify head clerk if stock of any ticket form is becoming exhausted. 


(As invoice clerk.) 

Copy invoices on the typewriter from requisitions sent in by agents, 
or from lists of commutation tickets made up by head clerk. 

Prepare these invoice forms beforehand by inserting necessary carbons 
and arranging in a neat pile in drawer. 

File one copy of invoice, send one copy with ticket shipment, and send 

one copy to auditor. 

(Invoice shows destination, agent, date, form number, series number, 
commencing and closing serial numbers, quantity, all of which is 
copied from the ticket requisition or monthly commutation list.) 

Prepare express or baggage labels and address labels for each ship¬ 
ment of tickets, clip together and put on shipping table. 

Assist in stamping or shipping. 

Do errand work. 

(As stamper .) 

Refer to commutation lists to discover which ticket books are to be 
stamped. 

Get these books from proper shelf, untie them, and arrange con¬ 
veniently for stamping. 

Refer to commutation list to discover what stamping is to be done. 

Find proper stamp or stamps in stamp case, or set up stamp desired 
if not in stock. 

Hold book under left hand, turn pages with fingers of left hand, apply 
stamp rapidly and accurately in required spaces with right hand. 

Look through book to see that no stamping has been omitted. 

Stamp the covers of books with another stamp to indicate to auditor 

whether names of one or of two stations were stamped on tickets in 
the book. 

Return stamps to stamp case in proper alphabetical order when stamp¬ 
ing has been completed. 

Place rubber band around tickets stamped, write destination on slip 
of paper, insert paper under band, place tickets on shelf to await 
shipment. 

Check off each item on commutation list as the required tickets 
are stamped. 


TICKET STOCK ROOM CLERK 


27 


Return commutation list to head clerk. 

Refer to agent’s requisition for stations, routings, and other data to 
be stamped on tickets other than commutation. 

While stamping, observe numbers and written contract on tickets to 
detect errors. 

If mistake had been made in ticket, use “void” stamping machine and 
canceling punch and send ticket to auditor. 

(As shipping clerk.) 

Receive invoice from invoice clerk. 

Get tickets called for from drawer or shelf. 

Check tickets against invoice as to form number, total number being 
sent, destination. 

Seal local ticket packages in carton used for that purpose. 

Wrap and tie or seal total shipment, inclosing copy of the invoice. 

Paste on the package the address label and the express or baggage 
label. 

Make out the express receipt if shipment goes by express, or regis¬ 
tered baggage waybill if shipment goes as baggage. 

Deliver express packages to express man when he calls, getting his 
signature on the express receipt. 

Take baggage packages to mailing room. 

Keep a record of total packages shipped during the day; turn this 
record over to ticket stock clerk. 

Keep materials used, including cord, twine, wax, scales, stamp, scis¬ 
sors, etc., in proper place. 

Notify ticket stock clerk or head clerk when supply of any material 
needs to be replenished. 

Assist in stamping tickets. 

Act as errand boy. 


(Space left for additions.) 


28 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The ticket stock room. 

Names of fellow employees and the general nature of their duties. 
The location of the supplies and materials used in the room. 
The relation of the ticket stock room to the general passenger 
department. 

Stamping tickets. 

How to arrange the ink pad, hold the stamp, and hold and turn 
the tickets, to work rapidly, neatly, and accurately. 

Where to put the various stamps on each form of ticket called for 
in the requisition. 

The correct wording of the contract on the ticket, so as to be able 
to detect errors. 

Where to find the tickets called for in the requisition. 

Where to put the tickets after stamping them. 

Shipping tickets. 

How to wrap, tie, seal, and weigh packages of tickets preparatory 
to shipment. 

Which tickets should be sealed, and which merely tied. 

How to use scissors, lead seal, wax seal, package sealer, postal 
scale, gas plate. 

Which shipments go by express, which by registered baggage. 
How to make out express receipts and registered baggage waybills. 
How to check the shipment against the invoice. 

How to prepare express and baggage address labels for the ticket 
shipments. 

Invoicing. 

How to operate the typewriter and the copy holder. 

How to set up the carbon copies of the invoices. 

How to copy invoices from requisitions or from commutation 
ticket lists. 

How to file the invoices. 

The ticket stock. 

In which division of the stockroom each of the many classes of 
tickets is filed. 

m 

How to arrange the tickets in the drawers. 

How to make out the ticket stock checks. 

How to handle the larger tickets. 


TICKET STOCK ROOM CLERK 


29 


Requisitions and reports. 

How to fill out the daily work report form. 

How to fill out notification to agents when form ordered is out 
of print or exhausted. 

What information the requisitions and monthly commutation 
lists should contain. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The general passenger department. 

Names of the officials and employees with whom the ticket stock 
room clerk comes in contact. 

Passenger tickets. 

The various kinds of tickets and the use of each. 

The reason for having different kinds of tickets. 

The nature of the contract between the company and the passen¬ 
ger resulting from the purchase of a particular kind of ticket. 
The importance of having every ticket stamped. 

The history of the passenger ticket from printing to filing or 
destruction. 

Office forms. 

Express receipts and registered baggage waybills, and the use of 
each. 

The necessity for filling out the form for notification to agents. 
The importance of the invoice. 

Ticket offices. 

The general nature of the work in a ticket office. 

The methods of doing the work. 

The forms used. 


{Space left for additions.) 


30 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


There are many promotional possibilities open to the ticket stock 
room clerk, three of which are listed below. The units of training 
necessary in preparing for promotion along any of these lines may 
be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of the job in 
question. 

1 2 


One line of 'promotion 
From ticket stock room clerk to: 

(a) Advertising stock room 

clerk. 

(b) Rate clerk in general 

passenger office. 

(c) Head clerk in rate 

bureau. 

( d ) Chief clerk. 

(e) Official. 

3 


Another line of promotion 
From ticket stock room clerk to: 

(a) Advertising stock room 

clerk. 

(b) Claims clerk in general 

passenger office. 

(c) Head clerk in claims 

bureau. 

( d ) Chief clerk. 

( e ) Official. 


Another line of promotion 
From ticket stock room clerk to: 

(a) Claims clerk in general passenger office. 

(b) Head clerk in claims bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk. 

( d) Official. 


ADVERTISING STOCK ROOM CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: advertising stock room. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: seventeen or eighteen. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none, though vacancies are usually filled 
by promoting ticket stock room clerks. 

Personal qualifications: dependability, accuracy, carefulness, 
promptness, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 


ADVERTISING STOCK ROOM CLERK 


31 


II. Duties 

(As to receiving material.) 

Receive, receipt for, and unpack time tables, wall cards, folders, pic¬ 
tures, cuts, stereopticon views, and other advertising material of 
own company and other companies. 

In case of advertising material of own company coming directly from 
printer, check the material against accompanying invoice, mark 
invoice “0. K. goods received,” or make proper notation if goods 
check short and turn invoice over to head clerk. 

In case of material coming from other companies, deliver baggage 
checks or bill of lading previously received, to baggage man, who 
can claim material and bring it to advertising stock room. 

Check all incoming advertising material of other companies, and mail 
receipt for it back to consignor. 

(As to storing material received.) 

Store all material, such as time tables, folders, posters, pictures, and 
cuts of other companies and of each route of own company on the 
proper shelf or in the proper drawer or case. 

Place samples of advertising matter, including folders, in a sample 
case. 

Keep stock of postcards, baggage and express labels, and other office 
material in the proper place. 

Notify head clerk when stock of material is low. 

(As to shipping material.) 

Refer to mailing list in preparing regular shipments of time tables 
to agents. 

Make out invoice in duplicate to cover shipment. 

In case shipment is small take material to mailing bureau with direc¬ 
tions for mailing to agent. 

For larger shipments prepare baggage waybill, or express receipt. 

Prepare the baggage or express label. 

Number the invoice and the label. 

Make up the package inclosing copy of invoice. 

Attach the label. 

Number the package with the number on the label. 

File the office copy of the invoice. 

In case requisition comes in for material, use as guide in filling the 
requisition a duplicate of advertising agent’s reply thereto stating 
that certain material is being sent. 


82 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Mark this duplicate letter “shipped,” date of shipment, number of 
baggage check, and file it as evidence of shipment. 

In case shipment goes to an off line representative, send postcard noti¬ 
fying him of shipment, giving baggage check number and routing. 

Send baggage checks to consignee on all baggage shipments. 

In case material is to be sent to foreign country, make up shipper’s 
export declaration in quadruplicate. 

Make invoice to cover shipment. 

Send two copies of invoice and four copies of export declaration to 
advertising agent for signature and transmittal to express com¬ 
pany’s agent. 


(Ms to record keeping.) 

Keep a record of each form of time table received and sent out. 

Balance this record as each new issue of a particular form of time 
table is received. Destroy remaining stock of previous issue. 

Keep a record of each form of folder received and sent out. 

When bill comes from express company for material shipped, mark 
the charges on the office copy of the express receipt. 

Keep a record index of each picture, showing name of picture, size, 
quantity, date received, number sent out, date on which sent, 
agent to whom sent. 

Keep record of stereopticon views received and sent. 

Keep index of “cuts” of folders received from printer, arranged 
alphabetically by title, showing draweis number in which the cut 
is to be found. 

* 

Keep a cardboard stock check on the shelf with each form of adver¬ 
tising poster. 

Keep a book of maps taken from time tables for reference in routing 
shipments to off-line representatives. 

Keep a reference list of local agents and off-line representatives of the 
company. 

Keep a mailing list for reference in sending in sending time tables 
to company agents. 

(As to filing.) 

File all requisitions alphabetically under station name. Show thereon 
date of shipment and material actually sent. 

File all cuts in numerical order in drawers. Label each drawer and 
show the name and number of the cut contained therein. 


ADVERTISING STOCK ROOM CLERK 


33 


(As to reports.) 

Make up daily report of work done, showing number of requisitions 
received and filled and amount of material of various kinds received 
and sent. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 
Advertising Stock Room. 

The location of the supplies and materials used in the room. 
The relation of the Ticket Stock Room and the Advertising Stock 
Room to the General Passenger Department. 

Receiving material. 

How to unpack, count, and check various kinds of material received. 
What to do in case of shortage. 

The use of baggage checks and bills of lading. 

Why it is necessary to receipt for material. 

Storing material. 

The place reserved for storing each class of material. 

The classes of advertising matter of which samples must be re¬ 
tained. 

The arrangement of office supplies. 

Shipping advertising matter. 

Which shipments should go by mail, which by baggage, express, 
or freight. 

Which shipping documents to make out in each case. 

How to make out an invoice; why it is necessary. 

What disposition to make of the original and duplicate copies of 
each shipping document, invoice, or label. 

Variations in procedure when shipping material to local agents, 
off-line representatives, or to foreign countries. 

How to wrap and tie or seal packages securely. 

Record keeping and report making. 

Whether or not, a record is kept for each class of advertising 
material. 


34 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


In case record is to be kept, wliat form of record must be used, what 
information placed thereon. 

How to keep a cardboard stock check. 

How to make out the daily work report. 

Filing. 

How to file requisitions, what notations to make on the requisi¬ 
tions. 

How to index and file cuts. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary TJnits 

Advertising. 

The necessity for having an advertising bureau. 

Regular advertising. 

Seasonal advertising. 

Emergency advertising. 

Advertising to promote good will. 

Advertising media best adapted to the attainment of the desired 
end. 

Shipping documents. 

The content, meaning, and use of each shipping document. 

The reasons for the special procedure in the case of shipments to 
foreign countries. 

English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 

The English used in writing various styles of advertisements. 
The vocabulary of railroad terms. 

Penmanship. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The necessity for having shipping documents neat and legible. 

{Space left for additions.) 


ADVERTISING STOCK ROOM CLERK 


35 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the advertising 
stock room clerk. Three are listed below. The units of training neces¬ 
sary in preparing for promotion along any of these lines may be found 
by consulting Section III of the analysis of the job next in line. 


One line of promotion 

From advertising stock room 
clerk to: 

(ai) Rate clerk in general 
passenger office. 

(5) Head clerk in rate 
bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk. 

(d) Official. 


Another line of promotion 
From advertising stock room 
clerk to: 

( a ) Claims clerk in general 
passenger office. 

(5) Head clerk in claims 
bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk. 

( d ) Official. 

of promotion 


Another line 
From advertising stock room clerk to: 

( a ) Clerk in advertising and publicity bureau 

(b) Head clerk in advertising and publicity bureau. 


36 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


JUNIOR CLAIMS CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: the Filing and Record Bureau of General Pas¬ 
senger Offices. 

Length of learning period: one or two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: fifteen to eighteen years. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory, alertness, carefulness, 
neatness, promptness, honesty, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 

Nature of the work: 

Many claims are presented to the railroad company by passengers 
who have not used all the transportation for which they paid 
when they purchased a passenger ticket. A claim is a written 
request to the company for settlement. The junior claims clerk 
prepares correspondence regarding such claims for handling by 
the Claims Bureau of the General Passenger Office. 

II. Duties 

Receive communications concerning claims as they are brought to the 
desk by the clerk who distributes the mail. 

Separate the communications referring to old claims from those re¬ 
ferring to new. 

Handle old claims as follows: 

Ascertain the number of the claim from the communication or from 
the index of claimants. 

Write this number in large pencil figures in the upper right hand 
corner of the communication. 

Find the file bearing this number. 

Remove all papers referring to the claim and attach them to the 
communication. 

Once each day take all such communications, with papers attached, 
to the claims bureau for handling. 

Handle new claims as follows : 

If the communication is accompanied by a ticket or a receipt, place 
these in an envelope. 

Attach this envelope and the communication to a backing sheet. 


JUNIOR CLAIMS CLERK 


37 


Stamp a consecutive identical number upon the envelope, the com¬ 
munication, and the back of the backing sheet. 

Index the claim on a form card showing name of claimant, number 
assigned the claim, date of receipt, number of the ticket. 

At a stated time take all new claims to claims bureau for handling. 

Prepare a folder for holding the new claim in the files, by placing 
the claim number upon it. 

On a pad, make out a list of current unassigned new claim numbers. 

When a claims clerk telephones for a number for a claim which has 
come to him directly, note on this pad the initials of the claims 
clerk, and the name of the claimant on either side of the number 
assigned. 

See that the claim gets the assigned number when it comes to the 
desk. 

Handle claim index cards as follows: 

Fill out card for each claim, entering thereon name of claimant, 
number assigned the claim, date of receipt, and number of the 
ticket. 

File the card alphabetically according to name of claimant. 

When there are two or more parties to a claim, make out a separate 
card for each party, but use only one claim number. 

File each card separately according to the name of the claimant. 

When claims are closed, take card from current file, write date of 
closing upon it, and file it in alphabetical order in the closed 
file. 

Handle ticket index cards as follows: 

Fill out in duplicate a card for each ticket, entering thereon ticket 
number, form number of ticket, date of filing, and number of 
the claim. 

Leave one copy in the ticket index card book. 

File other copy in ticket index card file, according to the ticket 
number. 

When claim is closed, transfer card from current to closed file. 

Handle claims retained by claims bureau as follows: 

Keep a temporary record on a form card, showing who lias the 
papers and what he is doing with the claim. 

Handle duplicate claims as follows: 

Fill out a cross reference form sheet showing date, name of claim¬ 
ant, and both numbers. 

File this cross reference under the new number. 

Kemove the claim and file it under the old number. 


38 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Handle reports and records of work as follows: 

Keep a record of work done each day. 

From this record make a report on proper form showing* number 
of new and old claims received, sent to claims bureau, filed, 
unfiled, closed, or held over. 

Hand this report to head clerk. 

Handle filing as follows: 

File the claims received back from the claims bureau each day. 

Transfer to the closed file those claims which have been closed. 

Occasionally get individual claims from the files as they are called 
for. 

Attend to desk and equipment as follows: 

Keep the desk, pencils, papers, pens, erasers, ink bottles, etc., 
arranged in a neat and orderly manner. 

Reset the dating stamp. 

Observe the daily routine as follows: 

Arrange material on desk if this has not been done the previous 
evening. 

Take claims received during previous day to claims bureau. 

File the claims received back from the claims bureau. 

Transfer the files of claims which have been closed. 

Separate the old from the new claims in the day’s mail. 

Prepare the new claims for the claims bureau and assign them 
numbers. 

Attach correspondence to the old claims. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Occasional Duties 

Assist file clerks. 

Assist in the proof reading of new rate sheets. 
Do errand work. 

Sometimes act as a special messenger. 

Assist at the mail desk. 


JUNIOR CLAIMS CLERK 


39 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Unfits 

The Filing and Recording Bureau. 

Names of other employees in the bureau. 

Nature of the work done in the bureau. 

Where stationery and supplies used in the bureau are kept. 

Preparing claims. 

The order in which the daily routine of tasks is to be performed. 
How to attach the correspondence and the material in the file to 
the backing sheet in preparing claims for claims bureau. 

How to use dating and numbering stamp. 

How to make out the required records. 

Indexing and filing. 

Systems ordinarily used in indexing and filing correspondence. 
The card index system used in indexing claims. 

The system used in filing claims. 

The filing system used in the file and record bureau. 

The location of the various filing cases; what material each con¬ 
tains. 

Passenger tickets. 

The various kinds of passenger tickets, local and interline. 

The nature of the contract on the ticket. 

How claims arise; how they are handled. 

Refunds to passengers in settlement of claims. 

{Space left for additions.) 


g s - r - jg. T . | 


Supplementary Units 


The claim. 

The procedure necessary in presenting a claim to the railroad com¬ 
pany. 

What constitutes a valid claim. 

The duties of the railroad company in regard to claims made by 
passengers. 

How claims are settled by the railroad company. 



40 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Passenger train service. 

General knowledge of rates and fares to important points. 
General knowledge of the time schedule of trains. 

How to use a time table. 

Business English. 

Oral English in addressing fellow workers. 

How to fill out certain forms properly. 

Business writing. 

How to make neat, legible figures. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The necessity for having records neat and legible. 

The part good penmanship plays in promotion. 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are no very definite lines of promotion for the junior claims 
clerk. The following are not exhaustive, simply suggestive. 


1 

One line of promotion 
From junior claims clerk to: 

(a) File clerk. 

( b ) Head file clerk. 

(c) Head clerk in File and 

Record Bureau. 

3 

Another line of promotion 
From junior claims clerk to: 

{a) File clerk. 

(b) Head file clerk. 

(c) Rate clerk. 

(d) Head clerk in Rate 

Bureau. 


2 

Another line of promotion 
From junior claims clerk to: 

(a) File clerk. 

(b) Head file clerk. 

(c) Clerk in Claims Bureau. 

(d) Head clerk in Claims 

Bureau. 

4 

A subsequent line of promotion 
From head clerk of a bureau to: 

(a) Chief clerk in general pas¬ 

senger department. • 

(b) Assistant general passen¬ 

ger agent. 

(c) General passenger agent. 
(cl) Assistant passenger traf¬ 
fic manager. 

(e) Passenger traffic manager. 


JUNIOR WAYBILL CLERK 


41 


JUNIOR WAYBILL CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: railway freight stations. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: fifteen to eighteen years. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: manual dexterity, alertness, speed, prompt¬ 
ness, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 


II. Duties 
(As stamper.) 

At intervals during the day, as they accumulate on the desk of the 
“reviser,” gather waybills with shipping orders attached. 

Stamp each waybill and the shipping orders attached thereto with 
the same number, being careful to stamp the waybill in the proper 
place. 

Detach the various shipping orders from each waybill. 

Pass the waybill to the “stripper.” 

Put the shipping orders for each station in boxes or trays alpha¬ 
betically arranged. 

Arrange the shipping orders in each tray alphabetically according to 
the station named as destination. 

* 

Make out on a typewriter, in quintuplicate, the car lists for the trains. 
(This car list shows car initial, car number, commodity, destina¬ 
tion of car, and where car was loaded. One copy is kept for check¬ 
ing the waybill, the other four go to the yard offices.) 

Put the office copy of the car list on the proper board. 

Arrange the yard office copies in a pile for sending to the yard office. 

Bind the shipping order for each day and for each station in a sep¬ 
arate book. 

Write on the back of the book the date and station. 

File the book. 


42 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


(As stripper.) 

Strip the original waybill from the duplicate. 

Pass the original copy to the 1 ‘ folder. ’ ’ 

While stripping, if two forms of waybills are used, sort the duplicate 
waybills into two piles, one for local, the other for through way¬ 
bills. ' ' ! ■' : i 

Bind the duplicate waybills in books each day in numerical order. 

Write on the back of the book the date, and beginning and ending 
numbers of waybills contained therein. 

(As folder.) 

Fold waybills to a given size and shape. 

If two forms of waybill are used, sort the waybills into two piles, one 
for local waybills, the other for through waybills. 

Distribute the waybills in boxes or trays alphabetically arranged. 

Act as errand boy or messenger. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The freight station. 

Names of the employees, location of their desks, and the duties 
performed by each. 

Where the office records and supplies are kept. 

Stamping waybills and shipping orders. 

Where to stamp the waybill. 

How to re-set the numbering machine. 

How to separate the original from the duplicate without tearing. 
Arranging and distributing. 

Where to find the name of the station on a shipping order. 

How to arrange documents by stations in alphabetical order. 

How to distinguish a local from a through waybill and distribute 
them into the two classes. 


JUNIOR WAYBILL CLERK 


43 


Making up car lists. 

Where to look for the necessary data on the shipping order. 

How to use the typewriter in making the original and carbon copies 
where accuracy rather than speed is required. 

Where the copies of the car lists should be sent. 

Binding, labeling, and filing. 

How to bind the shipping orders and waybills. 

What data must be marked on each book. 

Where to file the books. 

Folding waybills. 

How to fold waybills. 

The required size and shape of waybill when folded. 

How to grasp and turn the waybill so as to fold it neatly and 
rapidly. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The company. 

Names of tlie more important company officials with whom the 
freight office comes in contact. 

The location of the bureaus in the department and the general 
nature of the work of each. 

The shipping order and the waybill. 

What each is, and what information it contains. 

The relation of the shipping order to the bill of lading, and to 
the waybill. 

The relation of the waybill to the shipping order and the freight 
bill. 

The relation of the waybill to the movement of freight shipments. 

Why shipping orders and corresponding waybills should have 
identical numbers. 


44 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Business English. 

Oral English in addressing fellow workers. 

The vocabulary of railway transportation terms including their 
meaning, use, pronunciation, and spelling. 

{Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the junior way¬ 
bill clerk, three of which are listed below. The units of training 
necessary to prepare for promotion along any of these lines may be 


found by consulting Section III 

1 

One line of promotion 

Prom junior waybill clerk to: 
(cd) Waybill revisor. 

(b) Rate clerk. 

(c) Head clerk of rate 

bureau. 

(d) Assistant freight agent. 

(e) Freight agent. 


the analysis of the job in question. 

2 

Another line of promotion 

From junior waybill clerk to: 

{a) Waybill revisor. 

(6) Classification clerk. 

(c) Head clerk of outbound 
department. 

{d) Assistant freight agent. 

(e) Freight agent. 


3 

Another line of promotion 

From junior waybill clerk to: 

(a) Freight billing clerk. 

(b) Freight bill revising clerk. 

(c) Head clerk of inbound department. 

(d) Assistant freight agent. 

(e) Freight agent. 


SORTER OF LOCAL TICKETS 


45 


SORTER OF LOCAL TICKETS 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Local Bureau of the office of the Auditor of 
Passenger Accounts. 

Length of learning period: about one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or older. 

Sex: male or female. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory, some manual dexterity, 
carefulness, courtesy, willingness to work and learn. 
Educational qualifications: grammar school. 


II. Duties 

Sort local tickets, proceeding as follows: 

Remove bundles of tickets from desk drawer where they have been 
placed on being brought from conductors’ bureau. 

Remove rubber band from each bundle and sort tickets in neat 
piles alphabetically according to selling station. 

When all are sorted secure each pile with rubber band. 

Stack all piles for the same station in the same group. 

While sorting, observe each ticket and remove ‘ ‘ back dates, ’ ’ 
tickets which have not been punched, tickets which have been 
double dated, and any tickets belonging to another division. 

File “back dates” in proper group in ticket files. 

Turn tickets not punched and double dated tickets over to another 
clerk for handling. 

Sort tickets for each selling station alphabetically according to des¬ 
tination station. 

File the tickets as sorted in temporary cardboard box files. 

As the boxes are filled, take them to the ticket filing bureau for final 

numerical sorting and filing. 

{Space left for additions.) 


46 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The Local Bureau. 

Names of the officials, particularly those connected with the Local 
Bureau. 

General nature of the work of the Bureau. 

The local passenger ticket. 

The changes made on the ticket in the course of its use, i.e., the 
blanks filled out, the date, the baggage punch, and the con¬ 
ductor’s punch. 

Ticket sorting and filing. 

The items to observe on the ticket: the dating, the conductor’s 
punch, and the name of the station. 

The names and geographic order of stations in the divisions. (Each 
clerk is given tickets of one division, or sometimes two or three 
small divisions, to sort.) 

How to sort the tickets quickly and neatly into piles. 

The importance of careful sorting. 

The system of temporary filing used by the Local Bureau. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The local passenger ticket. 

The contract on the ticket. 

The history of the ticket from the time it is printed until it is 
mascerated and sold for old paper. 

The geography of the divisions of the railroad. 

The stations of the divisions and their location. 

The relative size and importance of the cities and towns of the 
divisions. 


SORTER OF LOCAL TICKETS 


47 


English. 

The meaning, use, and spelling of railway terms, with special refer¬ 
ence to the terms common to the Auditing Department. 

The importance of good oral and written English for promotion. 

(Space left for additions.) 


TV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the ticket sorter, 
three of which are listed below. The units of training necessary in 
preparing for promotion along any of these lines may be found by 
consulting Section III of the analysis of the job next in line. 

1 2 

One line of promotion Another line of promotion 

From sorter of local tickets to: From sorter of local tickets to: 

{a) Comptometer operator. (a) Dictatypist. 

,3 

Another line of promotion 
From sorter of local tickets to: 

( a ) Clerk in home interline bureau 

(b) Clerk in foreign interline bureau. 


48 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


TICKET SORTER AND CHECKER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Home Interline Bureau, office of the Auditor 

of Passenger Accounts. 

Length of learning period: about one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: preferably over sixteen. 

Sex: male or female. 

Special skill or training: vacancies ordinarily filled by promoting 
junior clerks or local ticket sorters or checkers. 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, carefulness, retentive memory, 
neatness. 

Educational qualifications: grammar school, ability to write simple 
letter from model. 


II. Duties 

Sort the home interline tickets in the following manner as they come 
from the Foreign Interline Bureau: 

Place the bucket containing the tickets on its side on the table and 
remove the tickets one by one. 

Turn the ticket over, read selling station named on the back, and 
determine the division in which the station is located. 

Throw each ticket into the compartment bearing the name of the 
division in which the station is located. 

Throw San Francisco and Los Angeles tickets, however, into their 
own respective compartments. 

While making the above assortment keep all 1 1 Craig tickets ’ ’ and 
all contracts (i.e., return portion of round trip ticket) in two 
separate groups on the table. 

Next sort all tickets (except contracts and San Francisco and Los 
Angeles tickets) into station groups for each division. 

Sort the “Craig tickets” into division and station groups. 

Secure each group of tickets with a rubber band and place them in 
envelopes bearing the name of the division and station. 

Arrange envelopes alphabetically by stations under each division 
and lay them aside. 

Later in the month arrange the envelopes geographically by 
stations under each division. 

Then remove the tickets for each station and sort them into form 
order and numerically under each form, preparatory to check¬ 
ing. 


TICKET SORTER AND CHECKER 


49 


Put contracts (i.e., return portions of round trip tickets) in a sep¬ 
arate box. 

Sort contracts by months and place them, grouped in this way, in 
a drawer marked “Unchecked Contracts,” to await checking. 

When preparing to check contracts, put them first into division 
order, then into geographical station order under each division, 
and finally into contract form number order under each station. 

Check all tickets against “agent’s daily report of home interline 
tickets sold,” to see that: 

(1) Each ticket corresponds with the report with respect to sale 

date, price, form and serial number, destination, and junc¬ 
tion points named. 

(2) Sale date corresponds with date ticket was used or that ticket 

bears agent’s notation in case ticket is sold for use on a 
later date. 

(3) War tax is not included in the sale price marked on the 

ticket. 

In addition, check the following tickets as indicated: 

Half-fare tickets to see that they have been properly punched. 

Clergy tickets for the clergy number. 

Excursion tickets to see that selling and returning date limits have 
been observed. 

Special rate tickets for indication of the reason for the special 
rate. 

Cancelled tickets to see that they have no conductor’s punch mark. 

Unchecked contracts for return date limit and for return junction 
as indicated on agent’s report. 

Handle correspondence with agents as follows: 

If agent reports a ticket number twice, make necessary corrections 
on his report, write advising him and asking confirmation. 

If agent fails to write sale price on ticket or includes war tax in 
sale price, write calling his attention to the rule applying to 
the case. 

If agent’s report shows ticket cancelled and conductor’s punch 
shows it used, write the agent asking him why he cancelled it. 
Turn the matter over to head clerk if agent’s reply is not 
satisfactory. 

If ticket on hand does not appear on agent’s report, instruct him 
to include it in his report for the following month. 

When any other irregularities appear, write the agent for an 
explanation. 


50 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


In all the above cases where correspondence is necessary, proceed as 
follows: 

Hold the ticket out and make a pencil memorandum as a guide 
^ in writing the letter. 

Make pencil correction notation on the agent’s daily report. 

Take letter to file clerk who gives it a file number. Note this num¬ 
ber on the agent’s daily report. 

Set tracing date one month ahead on filed copy of correspondence. 

If reply is not received by tracing date, send out postcard tracer, 
setting second tracing date two weeks ahead. 

If reply is not received by this date turn the matter over to the 
head clerk. 

Observe the monthly working schedule as follows: 

From 1st to 5th of month handle special rate orders, clergy tickets, 
and prepaid orders. 

From 5th to 10th of month put tickets in form number order. 

From 10th to 25th of month check tickets and start necessary 
correspondence with agents. 

From 25th to 31st of month work on “contracts.” 

File tickets as follows: 

Number agent’s reports from each station daily as they come in, 
starting each month with the number 1. 

Keep permanent record of the work done each day and also make 
a daily work report of same. 

File all checked home interline tickets by divisions in proper cab- 

• inet until they are sent to permanent file. 

Keep all “going portions” of round trip tickets in box on desk 
for five months for easy access in case other roads wish to trace 
any ticket. Then file them. 

File contracts each month as they are checked. 

When tickets are ready for permanent filing, fill out a label form 
showing names of “from station” and “to station,” month, 
year, number of the box in which they are filed. 

Fill out, for the box, a corresponding index of records in duplicate 
showing description of matter filed, corresponding with label 
on the box. Place proper I.C.C. number on the index. Send 
both to “warehouse.” Wlien one copy is returned showing 
location in files, file it under the proper month. 


TICKET SORTER AND CHECKER 


51 


Handle parlor car tickets as follows: 

Sort according to divisions in numerical order. 

Place them in the envelopes with the regular collection of tickets 
for the division. 

File them with the regular tickets. 

When a ticket is to be withdrawn from the files, fill out and insert in 
place of it a “Ticket withdrawn” card giving a complete descrip¬ 
tion of the ticket, together with the number of the file to which it 
is to be attached or the initials of the person for whom it is with¬ 
drawn. 

When records (agent’s reports in bound form) are sent to record 
storage room (warehouse) fill out Index of Records. 

When records are desired from “warehouse” fill out “request for 
records” form, giving description and location (by referring to 
bottom of Index of records card) of records required, and sign 
the request. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Umts 

The Home Interline Bureau. 

The nature of the work in the office of the Auditor of Passenger 
Accounts. 

The relation of the work of the Home Interline Bureau to other 
bureaus in the department. 

The names of officials and the line of authority in the bureau. 

Sorting home interline tickets. 

Which tickets to sort into division groups. 

The division of the road in which each station is located. (In 
case of doubt refer to list of stations.) 

The geographical order of the stations in each division. (When 
in doubt refer to geographical station list.) 

Checking home interline tickets. 

How to check tickets against agent’s daily report. 

Where to find quickly necessary information on various kinds of 
tickets. 


52 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


When ticket and report completely correspond. 

What rule the agent has violated in case of each error. 

When a ticket is irregularly issued in any way by the agent. 

How to proceed in case of any irregularity on ticket or on report. 

Why it is necessary to number the agent’s reports. 

Handling correspondence with agents. 

The routine to be followed in writing first and follow-up letters 
to agents. 

How to write a simple, concise letter, or use a letter form in cor¬ 
responding with agents in regard to irregularities on tickets 
or reports. 

Filing tickets. 

The system used by the company in both temporary and perma¬ 
nent filing of tickets. , 

How to prepare the labels and the index for the boxes in which 
tickets are filed. 

How to fill out a “ticket withdrawn” card when removing a 
ticket from the files. 

How to fill out a “request for records.” 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The Department of the Auditor of Passenger Accounts. 

The general nature of the work of the department. 

The relation of this department to other departments in the com¬ 
pany. 

The home interline ticket. 

The various classes of home interline tickets. 

The nature of the contract on each class of ticket. 

Geography. 

The location of stations by railroad divisions. 


TICKET SORTER AND CHECKER 


53 


English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 

How to fill out properly the forms used. 

How to write a clear, concise letter. 

The vocabulary of railway terms used in the auditing department. 
The importance of good English for promotion. 

Penmanship. 

* 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The necessity for having railroad records neat and legible. 

The part good penmanship plays in promotion. 

(Space left for additions .) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are several promotional possibilities open to the ticket sorter 
and checker. Two lines are suggested below. The units of training 
necessary in preparing for promotion along any of these lines may 


be found by consulting Section 
line. 

1 

One line of promotion 
From sorter and checker in home 
interline bureau to: 

(a) Ticket checker in foreign 

interline bureau. 

(b) Head ticket checker. 


of the analysis of the job next m 

2 

Another line of promotion 
From sorter and checker in home 
interline bureau to: 

(a) Rate clerk in home inter¬ 
line bureau. 

(5) Head rate clerk in home 
interline bureau. 


54 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


TALLY CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 
Place of employment: Foreign Interline Bureau, office of Auditor of 
Passenger Accounts. 

Length of learning period: about two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: seventeen or older. 

Sex: male or female, usually female. 

Special skill or training: none required, though vacancies are 
often filled by transfer from conductors 7 bureau. 

Personal qualifications: carefulness, accuracy, reliability. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade; ability to write neatly 
and legibly. 

Nature of the work: A gateway is a main terminal point where the 
railroad connects with other railroads, and through which, there¬ 
fore, traffic comes into and goes out of the territory of the road in 
question. The work of the tally clerk consists first, in segregating 
the tickets honored through each gateway, grouping the tickets for 
each gateway into classes, grouping each class into routes eastward 
and westward, and then counting and tallying them; second, in 
making a segregation of the tickets into month groups, segregating 
the tickets issued by each road, and counting and tallying them. 

Since classification of tickets must necessarily be different for 
different railroads, to list the duties in detail it is necessary to 
use the classification found in one division office. 

II. Duties 

Remove tickets from bucket in which they have been sent m from 
Conductors 7 Bureau. 

(Tallying tickets through gateways by classes and routes.) 
Segregate the tickets into gateway groups, making a separate gateway 
segregation for home interline and for foreign interline tickets, 
but hold out of these segregations the following tickets for each 
of which make a separate group: 

Transfers (across town). 

Mutilated tickets (any data not legible). 

Foreign interline not reading via S. P. 

G. H. & S. A. tickets sold at El Paso. 

“Locals 77 (small foreign line tickets with starting point and des¬ 
tination in S. P. territory). 

S. P. local tickets. 

Note .—The initials used in this section are recognized abbreviations 
for certain railroads. 


TALLY CLERK 


55 


While making the gateway segregation, pin a white tag on all “inter¬ 
mediates.” (Intermediates show four stations. The two middle 
stations must be main S. P. gateway stations; the stations of origin 
and destination must be on other lines. Clerk has a list of the 
names of certain small roads which issue these intermediates, to 
which reference may be made in case of doubt.) 

Put rubber band around each foreign interline gateway group, and 
set them aside. 

Put rubber bands around “transfers,” mutilated tickets, and foreign 
interline tickets not reading via S. P., write upon the back of each 
bundle ‘ 4 Box 10, 7 ’ sign with own initials and lay aside for sending 
to proper clerk. 

Bundle the G. IT. & S. A. group and lay aside for proper clerk. 
Bundle the S. P. locals and lay aside for local bureau. 

(Handling home interline gateway groups.) 

Make class groups of each home interline gateway group as follows: 
First class. 

Round trip. 

All-year tourist. 

Government. 

Segregate each of the four classes for each gateway into routes, and 
make a separate group for “no route shown.” 

Segregate each of the route groups into east bound and west bound. 
Count the tickets thus segregated and tally on small S. P. tally sheets 
(one sheet for each class) under the proper tally date and opposite 
the proper road, east bound and west bound. 

Place the tickets in a bucket for sending to home interline bureau. 

(Handling local tickets.) 

Handle the locals held out of the gateway groups as follows: 

Segregate the tickets into road groups, making separate road 
groups for government tickets except government tickets over 
the Arizona and Eastern Railroad. 

Count the tickets in each road group. 

Tally the tickets on local large condensing sheet opposite the par¬ 
ticular road, but do not show gateway, class, or routing. 

Tally the Local Government tickets on local government large con¬ 
densing sheet, writing the month, name of the road, from- 
station, to-station, under “Intra” if all travel is in the same 
state, under “Inter” if not all in same state. 


56 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Bundle the tickets for each road, put month and number of tickets 
in the bundle on the back of the last ticket. 

Foot each of the two big sheets and balance against total of the 
tickets as counted. 

Lay the tickets aside for further handling by another clerk. 


(•Handling foreign interline tickets) 

Class the foreign interline tickets for the El Paso gateway, holding 

the G. H. & S. A. tickets out of the four classes and handling as 

follows: 

Separate the large tickets into “government” and “non-govern¬ 
ment” groups. 

Separate the small tickets into “government,” “G. H. & S. A.,” 
and “G. H. & S. A. via S. P.” 

Make a separate group, for double tickets. 

Put the two government groups together and send to another 
clerk for handling. 

Put the G. H. & S. A.” group with the “non-government” 
group. 

Separate the “G. H. & S. A. via S. P. ” group into two groups, 

one for “G. H. & S. A. via S. P.—P. S.,” another for any other 
routing. 

Put the “G. H. & S. A. via S. P.—P. S.” with the “non-govern¬ 
ment” group. 

Count the group for the other routing and tally at the bottom of 
the small first class tally sheet as “El Paso Throw-outs,” after 
which bundle them and place them in the tray for subsequent 
“month order.” 

Separate the double tickets into Lordsburg, Deming, and Bowie 
groups. 

Put each of these three into month order and count them. 

Tally them as segregated on the small first class tally sheet and 
on the large condensing sheet. 

After tallying, place them with the “non-government” group. 

Bundle the “non-government” group as now constituted, mark 

it on the back “G. H. & S. A. not in order,” and pass it to 
the Back Desk. 

“Class” the foreign interline tickets for the Portland gateway, hold¬ 
ing “Portland Government” tickets out of the classes. 

“Class” the foreign interline tickets for the remaining gateways. 

Route each class for each gateway and make a group for “no route 

shown, ’ ’ separating- each route into eastbound and westbound. 


TALLY CLERK 


57 


Count the tickets for each gateway and tally on small tally sheets for 
that gateway. 

Bundle the tickets and put them in the tray for subsequent “ month 
order/’ holding out however, the “Intermediates” and the “Port¬ 
land Government group.” 

Take the “Intermediates” (already tallied with other foreign inter¬ 
line tickets in each gateway group) for each gateway, class them 
and route them east and west. 

Count them and tally them for the other gateway on the small inter¬ 
mediate tally sheet by gateways, by classes, and by routes east and 
west. 

Put them in the tray for subsequent “month order” classification. 

Take the “Portland Government” group (held out when classing 
Portland gateway), count and tally them on the large Portland 
government sheet. 

Put them in the tray for subsequent month order classification. 

(In tallying tickets in month order by roads.) 

Remove bundles of tickets from the tray. 

Turn each bundle over so as. to see date on back of each ticket. 

Separate the tickets into “back dates” and “current.” (Head Clerk 
tells girl which month to consider “back dates” and which “cur¬ 
rent. ’ ’) 

Bundle the “back dates” and lay them aside. 

Segregate the “current” tickets by months into seven groups, one 
group for S. P. tickets, one for A. T. & S. F. tickets, and five other 
groups corresponding to the five large condensing sheets on which 
the roads are listed. 

Put the tickets corresponding to each sheet into the order in which 
the roads appear on that sheet. 

Bundle the tickets for each road, count them, tally them on the large 
condensing sheet opposite the respective road under the proper 
date, and put them in the bucket for sending to the assorting 
clerks. 

Sort the “back dates” into gateway order, tally opposite the gate¬ 
way on large Back Date sheet, bundle, and put them in the bucket 
with the others for the assorting clerks. 


58 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


(Balancing and recapitulating.) 

Add each small class tally sheet separately and deduct “ Inter¬ 
mediates. 7 ’ 

Place the total for each of the four class tally sheets opposite the 
respective class on the small recapitulation sheet. 

Get the total of the small recapitulation sheet. 

Get the total of each large condensing sheet. 

Place each of these totals on the large recapitulation sheet opposite 
the name of the sheet from which it was taken. 

Get the total for the large recapitulation sheet. 

Compare the total of the small recapitulation sheet (a total by classes) 
with the total of the large recapitulation sheet (a total by dates) 
to see that they correspond. 

(Record of time distribution.) 

Make a record and report of the amount of time spent on each tally, 
and turn it over to head clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 
The Foreign Interline Bureau. 

The nature of the work of the bureau. 

The relation of the work of the Foreign Interline Bureau to the 
work of the other bureaus in the office of the auditor of passen¬ 
ger accounts. 

The names of officials and the line of authority in the bureau. 
Passenger tickets. 

How to distinguish quickly between local, home interline, and 
foreign interline tickets. 

How to recognize an “intermediate” ticket. 

How to distinguish quickly between the four classes of tickets. 
Gateway segregation. 

Plow many gateways there are; where they are. 

Which tickets to hold out of the gateway groups. 

What disposition to make of each group of tickets held out of the 
gateway groups. 


TALLY CLERK 


59 


Class segregation. 

What the four classes are. 

Which group should be “classed” first. 

Which tickets to hold out of the classes; what to do with them. 

Route segregation. 

What the routes are. 

How to determine whether a ticket is “east bound” or “west 
bound. ’ 7 

Month order segregation. 

How to read quickly the date on the back of the tickets. 

How many groups to make. 

Road segregation. 

The grouping of the roads on the five sheets. 

How to arrange quickly the tickets in the order in which the roads 
appear on the sheets. 

Tallying and recapitulating. 

How to make the “gateway tally.” 

How to make the month road order tally. 

What the recapitulation of the gateway tally sheet shows. 

What the recapitulation of the month and road order tally shows. 

Reports. 

What information is required on the work report of a tally clerk. 
How to keep an accurate record of the time distribution by jobs 
for this report. 

Penmanship. 

How to write neatly and legibly, especially in making figures. 

The necessity for having railroad records neat and legible. 

Arithmetic. 

Addition and subtraction. 

Checking and balancing accounts. 

(Space left for additions.) 


60 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Supplenientary Units 

The Office of the Auditor of Passenger Accounts. 

The organization of this branch of the Auditing Department. 

The function of each bureau. 

The passenger ticket. See page 29. 

Ticket classifying and tallying. 

Why it is necessary to make a separate gateway segregation for 
home interline and foreign interline tickets. 

Why it is necessary to make a separate “government” class. 

Why it is necessary to handle separately ‘ ‘ Locals, ” “ G. H. & 
S. A.,” and “Intermediates.” 

Why it is necessary to make two separate tallies, one for gate¬ 
ways, and one for roads. 

Why it is necessary that the two recapitulation sheets should bal¬ 
ance. 

Geography. 

The location of the various lines of the railroad. 

The location of the division points and gateways of the railroad. 

The territory served by connecting railroads. 

English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 

The vocabulary of railroad terms used in the Auditing Depart¬ 
ment. 


IY. Promotional Possibilities 


There are many promotional possibilities open to the tally clerk, 
three of which are listed below. The units of training necessary in 
preparing for promotion along any of these lines may be found by 
consulting Section III of the analysis of the job next in line. 


1 

One lime of promotion 
From tally clerk in foreign in¬ 
terline bureau to: 

(a) Ticket sorter in foreign 

interline bureau. 

(b) Ticket checker in foreign 

interline bureau. 


Another line of promotion 
From tally clerk in foreign inter¬ 
line bureau to: 

(i a) Ticket sorter in foreign 
interline bureau. 

( b ) Ticket tracer in foreign 
interline bureau. 


Another line of promotion 
From tally clerk in foreign interline bureau to: 

(a) Ticket sorter in foreign interline bureau. 

( b ) Sorter and checker in home interline bureau. 


CARBON CLERK 


61 


CARBON CLERK v 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Receiving, Filing, ancl Arranging Bureau of 
the Freight Auditing Department. 

Length of learning period: a few days. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: seventeen or older. 

Sex: female. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: promptness, courtesy, some manual dex¬ 
terity. 

Educational qualifications: grammar school. 

II. Duties 

“Set up” Division Statements, Abstracts of Interline Waybills, and 
Waybill Correction Notices with from one to six carbons and tissue 
sheets, proceeding as follows: 

Take sufficient quantity of carbons from cabinet. 

Take quantity of the form to be set up from shelf where it is kept. 
Obtain sufficient quantity of tissue sheets corresponding to the 
particular form. 

Arrange sheets conveniently for rapid work in handling while 
seated at the table. 

Set up the form with from one to six tissue sheets, using a 
rectangular tray open on two sides for keeping the edges of the 
papers straight. 

When proper number of “set-ups” have been made, remove them 
from tray, tie in a bundle, write figure on top indicating num¬ 
ber of carbons, and take to proper shelf. 

Repeat the operation, varying the number of carbons and the form 
set up so as to keep a sufficient quantity of each ready for use. 
Discard irregular forms when they are discovered. 

When change in form to be set up necessitates change in size of 
carbon, return carbon in use to carbon cupboard and obtain 
carbon of proper size. 

Discard carbon sheets as they become worn, smudged, wrinkled, or 
torn from handling. 

Keep a record of number of ‘ ‘ set-ups ’ ’ made during the day. 

From the record of “set-ups,” make a daily work report on the proper 
form. 

Before going off duty put away carbons and forms on the table. 


62 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The Receiving, Filing, and Arranging Bureau. 

Names of officials and fellow employees, and the general nature 
of their duties. 

Location of supplies and materials used in the bureau. 

Carbon paper. 

How to handle the paper so as not to smudge the hands, the 
clothing, the paper itself. 

How to insert the paper smoothly" over the sheet on which the 
impression is to be made. 

The “ set-up. ” 

How to adjust the original and tissue sheets evenly and smoothly, 
using the straight edging tray^. 

The number of set-ups to make in each pile. 

Daily work report. 

How to keep a record of the work done. 

How to make up the daily work report. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplenient ary Units 

Blank forms. 

The nature and use of the forms handled. 

The reason for the number of carbons used with each form. 
English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 
Importance of good English and good form in making reports. 
Penmanship. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The importance of good penmanship. 

(Space left for additions.) 


WAYBILL ARRANGING CLERK 


63 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The promotional possibilities open to the carbon clerk are rather 


limited. Three possible lines of 

1 

One line of promotion 
Prom carbon setting up clerk to: 

(a) Local waybill arranging 

clerk. 

(b) Interline waybill arrang¬ 

ing clerk. 

(c) Abstract clerk. 


promotion are suggested below. 

2 

Another line of promotion 
From carbon setting up clerk to: 

(a) Typist (training as typist 

necessary for promo¬ 
tion). 

(b) Head typist. 


3 

Another line of promotion 
From carbon setting up clerk to: 

(a) Comptometer operator (training as comptometer operator 

necessary for promotion). 

( b ) Head clerk of Comptometer Bureau. 


WAYBILL ARRANGING CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Receiving, Filing and Arranging Bureau of 
the office of the Auditor of Freight Accounts. 

Length of learning period: about one week. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: seventeen or older. 

Sex: female. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: promptness, courtesy, neatness. 
Educational qualifications: grammar school. 

II. Duties 

Handle local waybills as follows: 

{At the “throwing out” desk.) 

Obtain the bundles of waybills for the day and untie them. 

Sort out the waybills from certain large stations and make a sep¬ 
arate group of each. 

Sort the remaining waybills into small alphabetical groups. 

Tie the bundles and lay them aside for arranging. 


64 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


(At the “arranging” desk.) 

1 ake the waybills of each station or each alphabetical group and 
arrange them in numerical order. 

Verify each waybill in each group for station, number, and date. 

Remove “bad dates,” take to proper book of waybills in the files 
and paste in proper place. 

Remove any waybill found in wrong station group and place it 
in correct group. 

After arranging waybills of each station or alphabetical group of 
stations, count them and tie them in bundles. 

Write on the bottom of each bundle the number of waybills in the 
bundle, the date, and name of the clerk. 

Take bundles to Local Bureau. 

Make a record and daily work report of number of bundles 
(“books”) handled. 

Handle “interline forwarding’’ waybills as follows: 

(At the “throwing out” desk.) 

Obtain the bundles of waybills for the day and untie them. 

Sort out the waybills from certain large stations and make a sep¬ 
arate group of each. 

Sort the remaining waybills into small alphabetical groups. 

fie the groups and lay them aside for arranging. 

(At the “arranging” desk.) 

Take the waybills of each station or each alphabetical group and 
arrange them in numerical order. 

Verify each waybill in each group for station, number, and date. 

Remove “bad dates,” take to proper book of waybills in files and 
paste in proper place. 

Remove any waybill found in wrong station group and place it 
in correct group. 

Fold long waybills to uniform size. 

Smooth out wrinkled waybills. 

Mend torn waybills with tape. 

“Straight edge” each pile of waybills. 

Trim off any protruding edges. 


WAYBILL ARRANGING CLERK 


65 


Place blank protecting sheet under and over the bundle. 

Place front and back cover on each bundle. 

Tie the bundle and take it to the binding room. 

Keep a record and make a daily work report showing number of 
“books'' (bundles) handled. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The Receiving, Filing, and Arranging Bureau. 

Names of officials and employees. 

General nature of the work of the bureau. 

Where the supplies and equipment used in the bureau are kept. 

The waybill. 

The difference between the local and “interline forwarding” way¬ 
bill. 

The necessary items on a waybill. 

Sorting waybills. 

What alphabetical groupings to make. 

For which stations waybills should be assorted into separate 
groups. 

Checking and arranging waybills. 

The items on the waybill which must be observed by the clerk. 
WRat to do with the waybill if any necessary items are missing. 
What to do with “bad dates” and other waybills found in wrong 
groups. 

How to make up the bundles preparatory to binding. 

Making reports. 

How to keep record of amount of work done. 

How to make up the daily work report. 

{Space left for additions.) 


66 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Supplementary Units 

The waybill and its accompanying* documents. 

The journey of a waybill from its origin to the files. 

The other documents which are made out with the waybill. The 
use of each. 

The occasion for the various kinds of waybills. 

English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 

The meaning, use, and spelling of railway transportation terms, 
especially terms used in the auditing of freight accounts. 

Penmanship. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The importance of good penmanship in clerical work. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


There are many promotional possibilities open to the waybill 
arranging clerk, three of which are listed below. The units of train¬ 
ing necessary in preparing for promotion along any of these lines 
may be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of the job 


in question. 

1 

One line of promotion 

Prom waybill arranging clerk 
to: 

(a) Clerk in Local Bureau. 

( b ) Head clerk in Local 

Bureau. 


2 

Another line of promotion 

Prom waybill arranging clerk to: 

(а) Clerk in Tracing Bureau. 

(б) Head clerk in Tracing 

Bureau. 


3 

Another line of promotion 

From waybill arranging clerk to: 

( a ) Clerk in Comptometer Bureau. 

(&) Head clerk in Comptometer Bureau. 


CHECKING CLERK 


67 


CHECKING CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Tracing Bureau of the office of the Auditor of 
Freight Accounts. 

Length of learning period: about two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: seventeen or older. 

Sex: female. 

Special skill or training: none required, but vacancy would prob¬ 
ably be filled by promoting a girl who had been setting up 
carbons or sorting or arranging waybills. 

Personal qualifications: carefulness, thoroughness, dependability, 
neatness, accuracy, courtesy. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 

Nature of the work: 

The work consists in checking local forwarded waybills against the 
agents’ local forwarded abstracts. The waybills are brought to 
this clerk’s desk already arranged in alphabetical selling station 
order. The local forwarded abstracts must be sorted. 

II. Duties 

Handle local forwarded abstracts as follows: 

Sort the local forwarded abstracts into two groups, “Prepaid” 
and “Not Prepaid.” 

Arrange the “Not Prepaid” abstracts into alphabetical, forward¬ 
ing station order and file under the proper station. 

Send the “Prepaid” abstracts to the Hollerith Bureau for card 
punching and subsequent verification. 

When the “Prepaid” abstracts are returned, arrange them in 
alphabetical, forwarding station order and under each station 
in numerical order and lay them aside. 

Check the local forwarded waybills against the local forwarded 
abstracts at the end of the month. 

After checking send them to be bound and filed. 


68 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


V 

) 


Check local forwarded waybills against local forwarded abstracts as 

follows: 

Compare the number on each waybill with its number on the 
abstract. Check mark the number on the abstract. 

Compare “ advance” items and “prepaid” items. Check mark the 
items on the abstract. 

Check mark the waybill if everything corresponds. 

If waybill and abstract do not correspond, assign a correction 
notice number to both. (Get list of current numbers daily from 
head clerk and check them off as assigned.) 

Make out in duplicate a correction notice, sign it, and send original 
to the forwarding agent, showing waybill number, abstract 
form number and date, name of station, explanation, and data 
as to correction. 

File the carbon copy of the correction notice. 

If any waybill does not appear on the abstract proceed as follows: 

If waybill carries no “advances” or “prepaid” items, simply 
add it to the agent’s abstract. 

If waybill carries “advances” or “prepaid” items, make out a 
“dummy abstract” to cover it. 

Retain the dummy till the agent’s monthly account comes in. 

If monthly account carries the items in question, file the dummy. 

If monthly account does not show these items, or if they do not 
agree with those on the dummy, issue a correction notice in¬ 
structing the agent to add them to his account, or correct them 
on it. 

If an interline waybill has been changed back to a loc^l waybill, pro¬ 
ceed as follows: 

Look up the interline abstract to find out whether the company 
is to get all or only a portion of the charges. 

If the waybill has “advances” or “prepaid” items, make out an 
“office abstract” to cover, using black ink if charges are wholly 
local and red ink if charges are partly interline. 

Send the “office abstract” to the proper desk for handling, after 
having checked it against the waybill. 

If the waybill does not carry “advances” or “prepaid” items, 
simply add it to the agent’s abstract, indicating on the abstract 
the interline waybill number, destination station, route, rate, 
and freight charges. 


CHECKING CLERK 


69 


Make out a ‘ ‘ destroy tag ’ ’ in duplicate showing date, waybill num¬ 
ber, station of origin, destination station, station to which 
changed, junction points, road, weight, and commodity if a 
car-load lot. 

Send original to Hollerith Bureau. 

Paste duplicate to interline abstract. 

Remove the following waybills as they appear and send them to the 
cross reference desk for checking: “non-agency,” “switching,” 
“advances only,” “prepaids only,” “dead-head straight,” 
“weights and charges.” 

Make out a daily work report every morning, showing number of 
waybills on hand, received, and checked during the previous day. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value TJnits 

The Tracing Bureau. 

The nature of the business of the bureau and its relation to the 
Freight Auditing Department. 

Names and duties of employees in the bureau. 

The documents handled—their form and use. 

The local forwarded abstract. 

The local fordwarded waybill. 

The office abstract. 

The dummy abstract. 

The destroy tag. 

The correction notice. 

Arranging local forwarded abstracts. 

How to distinguish between “Prepaid” and “Not Prepaid.” 
What disposition to make of each class of abstract. 

How to arrange papers in alphabetical and numerical order. 

Checking local forwarded waybills. 

What data should appear on the abstract. 

How to compare waybill and abstract. 

How and under what conditions to make out a correction notice. 


70 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


When to make out a “dummy abstract,” 

When and why an “office abstract” and a “destroy tag” must 
be made out. 

What data to include on each of the above papers. 

Which waybills are to be taken out and sent to the cross reference 
desk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The Freight Auditing Department. 

The general nature of the work. 

The possibilities for promotion for a checking clerk. 

The forms and papers handled. 

The necessity for each form. 

The history of each form from making to filing. 

Record keeping. 

The necessity for having a record of every transaction. 

The various methods used in tracing transactions. 

English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 
Written English in filling out the forms used. 

How to write a simple, clear, concise letter. 

The vocabulary of railroad terms with special reference to those 
common to the Auditing Department. 

The part good English plays in promotion. 

Penmanship. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The necessity for having railroad records neat and legible. 

The part good penmanship plays in promotion. 

(Space left for additions.) 


CHECKING CLERK 


71 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the checking 
clerk, three of which are listed below. The units of training neces¬ 
sary in preparing for promotion along any of these lines may be found 
by consulting Section III of the analysis of the job next in line. 


1 


2 


One line of promotion 
From checking clerk in tracing 
bureau to: 

(а) Clerk in claims bureau. 

(Ability to dictate a 
good letter essential.) 

(б) Head clerk of claims 

bureau. 


Another line of promotion 
From checking clerk in tracing 
bureau to: 

(a) Comptometer operator. 

(b) Head clerk in compto¬ 

meter bureau. 


Another line of promotion 


From checking clerk in tracing bureau to: 

(a) Clerk in typing bureau. 

(&) Head clerk in typing bureau. 


72 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


JUNIOR CLERK IN RECHECKING BUREAU 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Rechecking Bureau of Freight Auditing De¬ 
partment. 

Length of learning period: two weeks to one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: probably not younger than seventeen. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: neatness, promptness, courtesy, retentive 
memory. 

Educational qualifications: grammar school. 

Nature of the work: 

Interline accounts arise when freight is hauled over more than one 
road. Differences in the application of the rates and in the division 
of the freight charges between the two lines occur. A statement of 
these differences for each month’s interline business is sent by one 
road to the other. When these differences are finally adjusted, a 
correction account is issued to make the accounts between the two 
roads correspond. 


II. Duties 

Trace unreported items on Statement of Differences in the adjust¬ 
ment of interline freight accounts as follows: 

Referring to copy of Statement of Differences for data, fill out 
tracer form and send to foreign line’s auditing department. 
(About 200 handled daily.) 

File copy of tracer with copy of statement, marking thereon the 
pending date one month in advance. 

If no answer is received by pending date, write follow-up letter. 
Attach copy of this letter to copy of statement in the file. Set 
new pending date. 

If no answer is received by pending date, write special letter for 
signature of chief clerk. File a copy. Set new pending date. 

If no reply is received by pending date, write personal letter to 
railroad in question for signature of Auditor of Freight 
Accounts. 

When the Correction Account is issued, check it with Statement of 
Differences. 


JUNIOR CLERK IN RECHECKING BUREAU 


73 


If the Correction Account is incorrect, make necessary notations 
ancl take them, with Statement of Differences, to clerk who 
issued the statement. Write letter to foreign line calling 
attention to inaccuracies. Follow up in one month with tracers. 

When the account is correct or when Statement of Differences is 
cancelled, close the file and transfer it to dead file. 

File material as follows: 

File the books of interline forwarded accounts alphabetically in 
road order and numerically under the road. 

File tariff supplements or revisions numerically under the par¬ 
ticular tariff, inserting the new in the place of the old. Place 
thg old tariff supplements in the back of the book for reference. 

File copies of all tracing or follow-up correspondence with the 
copy of the Statement of Differences referred to. 

File copies of all stationery requisitions. 

File “short order” notices with copy of requisitions. 

Make stationery requisitions as follows: 

At stated time make out weekly requisition for stationery required 
by bureau for ensuing week, showing thereon form, description, 
quantity on hand, quantity required, account or service to be 
charged, etc. 

Get proper signatures and send to company stationer. 

File a copy of requisition. 

When material requisitioned is received, check it against requisi¬ 
tion, and make necessary changes on stationery stock record. 

If stationer can not fill an item on the requisition and sends ‘ ‘ short 
order” notice, file same with copy of requisition. 

Make new requisition to cover the short item on date indicated in 
“short order” notice. 

Handle mail for the bureau as follows: 

Once daily, obtain mail from mail bureau of the office. 

Open the mail. 

Read each communication to determine the subject and who should 
handle it. 

Distribute mail to the proper persons. 

Once daily, take mail to mail bureau. 


74 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


Occasionally perform the following tasks: 

On request from foreign lines, make copies of waybills and send 
to them. 

On request go to record room, look up reportings on various way¬ 
bills, see in what month’s account waybill was reported, and 
bring information to clerk requiring it. 

Do office errand work. 

Act as messenger within the building. 

{Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

The Rechecking Bureau. 

Names of all employees and the general nature of their work. 
Where the supplies and equipment of the bureau are kept. 

Tracing. 

How to interpret the data on a Statement of Differences. 

How to fill out the tracer. 

How to write a simple, concise, follow-up letter. 

When and why it is necessary to refer a matter to an official for 
handling. 

How to check a Correction Account against a Statement of Differ¬ 
ences. 

Filing. 

The system used in filing books of interline forwarded accounts. 
How to file new tariffs or revisions in the proper books. 

How to file tracers and follow-up letters dealing with Statement 
of Differences. 

How to file copies of requisitions and short order notices. 
Making stationery requisitions. 

The various kinds of stationery and blank forms used in the office. 
How to proceed in making stationery requisitions. 

How to add and subtract accurately and quickly. 

How to check the material received against the copy of the requi¬ 
sition. 


/ 


JUNIOR CLERK IN RECHECKiNG BUREAU 


75 


Handling mail. 

The duties performed by each employee in the bureau to whom 
mail is distributed. 

When to get and distribute incoming mail. 

When to collect the outgoing mail. 

Regarding occasional duties. 

How to conduct simple correspondence with other companies. 
The system used in filing waybills in the record room. 

The location of the supplies and equipment used in the office. 
The location of the various offices and bureaus with which the 
Rechecking Bureau has dealings. 

{Spa-ce left for additions.) 


Supplementary Units 

The Office of the Auditor of Freight Accounts. 

The various bureaus in this department and the general nature 
of their work. 

The relation of the work of the Rechecking Bureau to the work 
of the Office of the Auditor. 

Why it is necessary to have a Rechecking Bureau. 

The documents handled. 

The importance and use of the various documents handled. 

The necessity for the various documents. 

The necessity for “pending” correspondence. 

English. 

Oral English in addressing officials and fellow employees. 

How to write or dictate a clear, concise letter. 

The vocabulary of railroad terms with special reference to those 
common to the Rechecking Bureau. 

The part good English plays in promotion. 

Penmanship. 

How to make neat, legible figures. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 

The necessity for having railroad records neat and legible. 

The part good English plays in promotion. 


76 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the junior clerk 
in the rechecking bureau. Three lines are listed below. The units 
of training necessary in preparing for promotion along any of these 
lines may be found by consulting Section III of the analysis of the 
job next in line. 


1 

One line of promotion 
From junior clerk in rechecking 
bureau to: 

(а) Clerk in rechecking 

bureau. 

(б) Head clerk of rechecking 

bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk of depart¬ 

ment. 

(d) Assistant auditor of 

freight accounts. 

( e ) Auditor of freight accounl 


2 

Another line of promotion 
From junior clerk in rechecking 
bureau to: 

(a) Clerk in interline for¬ 

warding bureau. 

(b) Head clerk of interline for¬ 

warding bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk of department. 

(d) Assistant auditor of freight 

accounts. 

(e) Auditor of freight accounts. 


3 

Another line of promotion 
From junior clerk in rechecking bureau to: 

(a) Clerk in rate revising bureau. 

( b ) Head clerk of rate revising bureau. 

(c) Chief clerk of department. 

(d) Assistant auditor of freight accounts. 

(e) Auditor of freight accounts. 


ASSISTANT INDEMNITY BOND CLERK 


77 


ASSISTANT INDEMNITY BOND CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Indemnity Bond Bureau in the Treasury De¬ 
partment. 

Length of learning period: about six weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: ordinarily not younger than eighteen. 

Sex: male or female. 

Special skill of training: preference given to person familiar with 
freight documents or to an employee in the Treasury Depart¬ 
ment. 

Personal qualifications: carefulness, dependability, courtesy, neat¬ 
ness. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 


II. Duties 

{In regard to correspondence.) 

Open the incoming mail and sort it according to the filing system used 
in the bureau. 

Match up correspondence with files or make new files as needed. 
Turn over correspondence to head clerk for handling. 

Prepare the outgoing mail for sending. 

{In regard to indemnity bonds.) 

Number each bond as it is received. 

Make a file for each bond. 

When a person calls at the office for a bond, give him the proper form. 

{In regard to recording, indexing, and filing.) 

In the record book, make an entry for each bond showing station, 
date, amount and kind of bond, principal, and guarantor. 

Make an index card for each bond giving the same data. 

File the index cards and the bonds. 

Keep the files in order and the closed files properly transferred. 

{In regard to supplies.) 

Put away the supplies for the bureau as received (carbon paper, forms, 
various kinds of bonds, etc.). 

Take out supplies as they are needed in the bureau. 

Inform head clerk when new supplies should be ordered. 


78 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


(In regard to the daily work report.) 

Keep a record of the amount and character of work done each day 
and turn it over to head clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 
The Indemnity Bond Bureau. 

The nature of the business of the Indemnity Bond Bureau and its 
relation to the Treasury Department. 

Indemnity bonds. 

The various kinds of indemnity bonds. 

The circumstances which call for each kind of bond. 

When an indemnity bond is properly executed. 

The rights, duties, and obligations of the parties to an indemnity 
bond. 

How to proceed in case of cancellation or forfeiture. 

The duties of the local agent in regard to bonds. 

What officials should be advised when bonds are filed. 

Geography. 

The location of the company’s lines and divisions. 

Junction points with other lines. 

Recording and filing. 

The entries on the bond of which record must be made. 

The office system of recording and filing bonds. 

{Space left for additions.) 


I 


ASSISTANT INDEMNITY BOND CLERK 


79 


Supplementary Units 

The Treasury Department. 

Its personnel. 

The nature of the work performed by each bureau in the depart¬ 
ment. 

Freight. 

The different kinds of bills of lading. 

What to do when an order bill of lading is reported lost. 
Regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission regarding the 
payment of freight charges. 

The location of freight stations, especially at junction points. 
Filing and recording. 

The systems of filing used in different offices. 

The various systems of keeping office records. 

English. 

How to write or dictate a clear, concise business letter. 

The vocabulary of this phase of railroad business. 

(Space left for additions .) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


The first line of promotion listed below is the most logical one for 
the assistant indemnity bond clerk to follow. Two other possible lines 
are also given. 


The logical line of promotion 
From assistant indemnity bond 
clerk to: 

{a) Head clerk of indemnity 
bond bureau. 

(h) Chief clerk. 


Another line of promotion 
From assistant indemnity bond 
clerk to: 

(a) Abstract clerk. 

( h ) Chief clerk. 


3 

Another line of promotion 
From assistant indemnity bond clerk to: 

(a) Distribution clerk. 

( b ) Chief clerk. 


80 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


DISTRIBUTION CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Pay Check Bureau of Treasury Department. 

Length of learning period: one month or more. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or older. 

Sex: male or female. 

Special skill or training: none, though vacancies are usually filled 
by promoting junior clerks. 

Personal qualifications: dependability, alertness, accuracy, cour¬ 
tesy, promptness. 

Educational qualifications: preferably more than grammar school. 


II. Duties 

(.Regarding payroll vouchers.) 

Countersign payroll vouchers. 

Examine and verify them against the payroll. 

List all payroll vouchers, according to destination, on payroll voucher 
transmittal slips, in payroll order. 

Prepare payroll voucher envelopes. 

Inclose payroll vouchers and corresponding transmittal slip in proper 
envelope form. 

Seal the envelope with wax, and weigh it. 

Prepare express waybills for payroll vouchers going to points where 
there is an agent. 

Make a record, on the proper form, of all vouchers sent. 

Number each waybill and corresponding envelope with identical num¬ 
ber. 

Take a receipt •from the express company’s representative who calls 
for the vouchers. 

Prepare registered baggage waybills for vouchers going to points 
where there is no agent. 

Stamp these waybills and the voucher envelopes with the “registered” 
stamp. 

Deliver them to the central mailing bureau. 


DISTRIBUTION CLERK 


81 


{Regarding time vouchers.) 

Examine, verify and make proper record of time vouchers. 

Prepare time voucher transmittal slip. 

Send vouchers to the agent accompanied by the proper transmittal 
slip in the proper envelope form. 

(.Regarding individual requests for pay.) 

When person calls have him establish his identity. 

Deliver his voucher to him. 

Take his receipt for the voucher on the proper form. 

(■Regarding the sending out of individual payroll vouchers.) 

Prepare the proper transmittal slip. 

Prepare the proper receipt form. 

Mail the payroll voucher, accompanied by these forms, enclosed in 
proper envelope, addressed to the employee. 

(.Regarding the checking of transmittal slips.) 

Check returned transmittal slips to see that they have been properly 
signed and vouchers delivered. 

Turn over undelivered vouchers to proper clerk. 

Send out tracers for transmittal slips and receipts not returned. 

Pile all returned transmittal slips and receipts. 

(Regarding payrolls.) 

Sort all payrolls according to divisions of the road. 

Bind and file them. 


(Space left for additions.) 


82 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

Pay Check Bureau. 

Names of the employees, location of their desks, and the general 
nature of the duties performed by each. 

The nature of the business of the bureau and its relation to the 
Treasury Department. 

Payroll and time vouchers. 

The difference in form and use between the payroll voucher and 
the time voucher. 

The items which are necessary on a voucher. 

What to do in case an irregularity is discovered on a voucher. 
How to operate the countersigning machine. 

How to prepare vouchers, transmittal slips, and voucher envelopes. 
How to prepare express waybills and registered baggage waybills. 
Which voucher transmittal slips and which voucher envelopes are 
required for each lot of vouchers. 

How to proceed when an individual employee calls for his voucher. 
How to proceed in preparing to send out individual payroll 
vouchers. 

How to make up a record of vouchers transmitted. 

Returned transmittal slips and receipts. 

What items to check on the returned transmittal slips and receipts. 
What disposition to make of returned (unclaimed) vouchers. 

When to send out tracers for unreturned transmittal slips and 
receipts. 

The system used by the company in filing returned transmittal 
slips and receipts. 

4 

Payrolls. 

How to sort payrolls according to division of the road. 

How to bind them for filing. 

The system used by the compan}^ in filing them. 

Transmitting documents. 

When to send vouchers by express and when as registered baggage. 
How to seal envelopes with wax and the importance of sealing 
them securely. 

How to weigh mail. 


(Space left for additions.) 


DISTRIBUTION CLERK 


83 


Supplementary Units 


The Treasury Department. 

The nature of the work of the department. 

The lines of promotion open in the department. 

The forms handled. 

The use of the various office forms and their history from making 
to filing. 

The nature of the express receipt and the baggage waybill. 
Business English. 

Oral English in addressing fellow workers and individuals who 
call at the office. 

How to write a clear, concise, correct business letter. 

How to fill in form letters. 

Business writing. 

The necessity for having treasury records legible and neat. 

The part good penmanship plays in promotion. 

How to write neatly and legibly. 


{Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are several promotional possibilities open to the distribution 
clerk. Two lines of promotion are suggested below. 


1 


2 


One line of promotion 


Another line of promotion 


From distribution clerk to: 
fa) Garnishment clerk. 
(&) Chief clerk. 

(c) Assistant cashier. 

(d) Cashier. 

(e) Assistant treasurer. 


From distribution clerk to: 

(a) Teller. 

( b ) Chief clerk. 

(c) Paymaster. 

(d) Cashier. 

(e) Assistant treasurer. 


84 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


MANIFEST CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: General Freight Offices. 

Length of learning period: one month to two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: probably not under twenty or twenty-one years. 

Sex: male or female—usually male. 

Special skill or training: familiarity with the work of a general 
freight office. 

Personal qualifications: accurate, neat, prompt, reliable. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 

Nature of the work: 

The manifest system is designed to insure prompt movement of 
through carload freight shipments. Reports on the movement of 
such freight are mailed and telegraphed to the general freight 
office of the company, where a careful record is kept of its progress 
to destination. The supervisory and clerical work incident thereto 
is performed by manifest clerks. 

II. Duties 

Examine reports of manifest freight, passing reports, “set out,” and 
“pick up” reports to see that they have been properly filled out. 
Index the manifest reports and paste them in the proper books. 

Make a record of any delay in the movement of manifest cars. 

Make a record of the number of hours between divisions in the move¬ 
ment of manifest trains. 

Make a record of the average daily dela} r s in the movement of manifest 
freight between divisions. 

Send out postal cards to consignees to inform them of the progress 
of manifest freight toward destination. 

Make up reports at stated intervals showing the amount of manifest 
freight handled in each direction, through each gateway, and the 
promptitude with which it was handled. 

Conduct correspondence relative to the business of the bureau. 

(Space left for additions.) 


MANIFEST CLERK 


85 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 
The General Freight Office. 

The organization and function of the General Freight Office. 
The personnel of the General Freight Office force. 

The documents handled. 

What information should appear on reports of manifest freight, 
passing reports, “set out” and “pick up” reports. 

How to interpret the data on these reports. 

What records to make from these reports. 

The movement of manifest freight. 

Regulations of the company regarding the movement of manifest 
freight. 

Time schedules of the company’s manifest freight trains. 

Which stations should send in reports and how often they should 
be sent. 

Geography. - 

Nature of the territory served by the company: location of moun¬ 
tains, rivers, valleys, important cities and towns. 

Climatic and weather conditions of the various sections. 

Crops and industries of different parts of the territory. 

Location of the company’s lines, divisions, manifesting stations, 
and terminals. 

English. 

Ability to write or dictate a good business letter. 

The vocabulary of this phase of the railroad business. 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are many promotional possibilities open to the manifest 
clerk. Three lines of promotion are listed below. 


I 

One line of promotion 
From clerk in manifest bureau 
to: 

(a) Clerk in tariff bureau. 
(5) Head clerk in tariff 
bureau. 


Another line of promotion 
From clerk in manifest bureau to: 
(a) Clerk in rate bureau. 

(5) Head clerk in rate bureau. 

3 


Another Ime of promotion 
From clerk in manifest bureau to: 

(a) Plead clerk in manifest bureau. 


86 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


INDEMNITY BOND CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Treasury Department. 

Length of learning period: about three months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: twenty-one or older. 

Sex: male or female—usually male. 

Special skill or training: knowledge of railroad organization, with 
special reference to the handling of freight, and credit matters. 
Personal qualifications: accurate, deliberate, neat, courteous, abil¬ 
ity to assume responsibilhy, promptness. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 


II. Duties 
(As to bonds.) 

Examine all bonds (indemnity, demurrage, reciprocal) to see that they 
have been properly executed. 

Give each bond a number. 

Keep record book and card index of bonds. 

Notify proper officials when bonds are filed with the bureau. 

Notify agent when bond is not property executed. 

Handle requests for cancellation. 

(As to correspondence.) 

Conduct all correspondence, relative to the business of the bureau, 
with station agents, guarantors, shippers, and others. 

(As to filing.) 

Keep file of correspondence and of bonds. 

(Space left for additions.) 


INDEMNITY BOND CLERK 


87 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units 

Indemnity bonds. 

The various kinds of indemnity bonds. 

What circumstances call for each kind of bond. 

When an indemnity bond is properly executed. 

The rights, duties and obligations of the parties to an indemnity 
bond. 

How to proceed in case of cancellation or forfeiture. 

The duties of the local agent in regard to bonds. 

What officials should be advised when bonds are filed. 

Freight. 

The different kinds of bills of lading. 

What to do when an order bill of lading is reported lost. 
Regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission regarding the 
payment of freight charges. 

The location of freight stations, especially at junction points. 
Correspondence. 

How to write or dictate a clear, concise letter relative to any work 
of the bureau. 

The vocabulary of this phase of the railroad business. 

Filing. 

The system used in the office for filing correspondence and bonds. 
Geography. 

The location of the company’s lines and divisions. 

Junction points with other lines. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The logical line of promotion for the indemnity bond clerk is as 
follows: 

(a) Assistant chief clerk. (c) Assistant cashier. 

( b ) Chief clerk. (d) Cashier. 


88 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


GARNISHMENT CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Treasury Department. 

Length of learning period: about two months. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: over twenty-one. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: vacancies ordinarily filled by promoting 
a clerk in the Treasury Department, 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, sound judgment, dependability. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 


II. Duties 

(In regard to attachments or garnishments.) 

Record the date of service, plaintiff, defendant, court, number of the 
case, and time set for hearing whenever a writ of attachment or 
garnishment is served against the salary or wages of any employee 
of the company. 

Notify the officer, under whom the employee is working, of the facts. 

File the record of attachment. 

See that the pay check is held in the office. 

Make a notation on the writ showing the amount of money being held. 

File the record thus completed and hold till disposition of the case by 
the court or amicable settlement by the creditor and debtor. 

(In regard to assignment of wages by employees.) 

When notice of assignment conies in, see that the employee’s pay 
check is held and payment made to the assignee. 

(In regard to wages due deceased employees.) 

Retain the pay checks of deceased employees. 

Authorize payment of money due deceased employee to person pre¬ 
senting letters of administration. 

Authorize payment of money to widow of the deceased upon delivery 
by her of a properly executed indemnity bond. 

Authorize payment of money to other legal heir of the deceased upon 
delivery of a properly approved affidavit and a properly executed 
indemnity bond. 


GARNISHMENT CLERK 


89 


(In regard to lost pay checks.) 

Secure a properly executed indemnity bond from employee who has 
lost his check. 

After the lapse of a specified time, authorize the issuance of a new 
check to the employee. 

Authorize cancellation of the bond after a certain number of years. 

Authorize forfeiture of the bond in case lost check has been paid by 
the company. 


(In regard to forged pay checks.) 

Secure the amount of the check from the bank or from last endorser 
of check. 

Deposit same with cashier. 

Request authority to prepare a cash voucher for the employee. 

(In regard to records, filing and correspondence.) 

Record in proper books or on proper forms full details of all cases 
handled. 

Conduct all correspondence relative to the cases handled. 

Pile all records and all correspondence relative to the cases handled. 

(Space left for additions.) 


90 


ANALYSIS OF CLERICAL POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value JJmts 
The Treasury Department. 

. The organization of the Treasury Department. 

The nature of the business in each bureau of the department. 

Attachments, garnishments, and assignments. 

The various steps in the legal process from attachment, or garnish¬ 
ment, to final settlement. 

The record which must be made of attachments and garnishments. 
The persons who should receive notification of attachments and 
garnishments. 

Wages of deceased employees. 

Who is entitled to receive the wages of deceased employees and 
upon what conditions. 

How to safeguard the interests of the company. 

Lost pay checks. 

When a new check may be issued. 

Why it is necessary to require a bond. 

Forged pay checks. 

How to proceed to collect on the check. 

How to proceed to reimburse the employee. 

Correspondence. 

How to write or dictate a clear, concise letter regarding any matter 
handled by the bureau. 

The vocabulary of this phase of the railroad business. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The logical line of promotion for the garnishment clerk is as fol¬ 
lows: 

(a) Chief clerk. 

(b) Assistant cashier (or paymaster). 

(c) Cashier. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


91 


PART TWO 

SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 

BACKGROUND TOPICS 

Listed below are a number of subjects for instruction related to 
the business of railroad transportation. The material may profitably 
be used in part-time, evening, or full-time schools, in classes of juniors 
who are engaged in, or who contemplate entering upon clerical work 
in railroad offices. The subjects included in the list are such as will 
give young workers a broader foundation of information related not 
only to railroad work but also to their duties as wage earners and 
citizens. 

Corporations. 

The definition of a corporation. 

Distinctive characteristics of corporations. 

How corporations are created. 

The capital stock of a corporation. 

Rights and liabilities of stockholders as owners of the corporation. 
Duties and responsibilities of directors and officers. 

Powers and liabilities of corporations. 

Dissolution of corporations. 

Different kinds of corporations. 

The railroad company as a quasi-public corporation. 

General nature of its business. 

Its departmental organization. 

Functions of the various departments. 

Legal restrictions due to the nature of the business. 

Economics and Geography. 

The more important geographic features of the country. 
Mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, harbors. 

Location of important railroad bridges. 

The territory served by the company. 

Important geographic features. 

Important cities and towns. 

Crops and products moving into and out of the territory. 


92 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


The part played by railroads in the development of the territory 
which they serve. 

Influence of economic, financial, and industrial conditions on the 
business of the railroad. 

The importance of the service of transportation to the public, with 
special emphasis upon the service of the department in which 
the employee works. 

The territory served by competing companies and small tributary 
companies. 

Principal railroad centers of the United States. 

What makes a city. 

Why some towns grow in point of population and others do not. 
Principal railroad centers of the State. 

Current abbreviations of the names of cities and states. 

The comparative advantages of railroad and water transportation 
as to time, cost, convenience, etc. (Dunn, S. 0 ., The Anver loan 
Transportation Question, Chapters IX, X.) 

Transportation Charges. (Dunn, S. 0 ., The American Transportation 
Question, Chapters I-IV, XI, XII.) 

The relation between the three factors of cost, service, and financial 
return—their interdependence. 

Passenger rates. 

Freight rates. 

Why rates cannot be based mainly on distance. 

Cost of the service.- (Various kinds of costs.) 

Value of the service. 

The long and short haul. 

‘ ‘ What the traffic will bear. ’ ’ 

Classification and discrimination (low grade, long distance, and 
competitive traffic). 

Why discrimination is necessary. 

Regulation of charges. 

Railroad Regulation. 

The Interstate Commerce Commission. 

State Railroad Commission. 

Judicial decisions. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


93 


Business Law. 

The elementary essentials of an enforceable contract. 

Agreement (offer and acceptance). 

Competency of parties. 

Absence of fraud, duress, or undue influence. 

Good and sufficient consideration. 

Legality of subject matter. 

Particular form (for certain contracts). 

The passenger ticket and the bill of lading as forms of contracts. 

The distinction between a common carrier and a private carrier. 
The private carrier: 

Freedom to make separate terms with each patron. 
Freedom to refuse to contract for any reason. 

Freedom from absolute liability. 

The public or common carrier: 

Standardization of the contract with patrons. 

Restrictions to the right to refuse to contract. 

Limitations to absolute liability. 

Bailments, with special reference to public or common carriers. 
Definition and classification of bailments. 

The mutual benefit bailment. 

The rights and obligations of bailor and bailee. 

The right of stoppage in transit. 

The railroad company as a special class of bailee. 

Negotiable instruments. 

Various kinds of negotiable instruments. 

The order bill of lading as a negotiable instrument. 

The use of the order bill of lading. 

The conditions on the back of a bill of lading. 

Guaranty and suretyship. 

The obligations of the guarantor or surety. 

The rights of the guarantor or surety. 

Indemnity bonds. 

When and why they are required of patrons of the railroad 
company. 

When and why they are required of employees of the rail¬ 
road company. 


94 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Related History. 

How the first settlers came to California. 

How commodities were transported to California in the early days. 

Advent of the railroad. The first line in California connecting 
the East and the West by rail. 

Railroad influence. (Before the days of the railroad it was thought 
impossible that a senator or representative from the Pacific 
Coast could form a part of our Congress at Washington, as it 
was said they would spend so much time coming and going that 
their attendance would not be worth while. The railroad 
solved this and many similar problems.) 

The changes needed in the Constitution due to present rapid trans¬ 
portation. 

Early colonial history and early United States history with refer¬ 
ence to customs of the times, delivery of mails, development 
of railroads, and consequent development of the West. 

Railroad Documents. 

The bill of lading. 

The shipping order. 

The passenger ticket. 

The history of these documents from making to filing. 

The documents to which they give rise within the company. 

Growth of Large Railroad Systems. 

The Pennsylvania Lines. 

The New York Central. 

The Chicago and Northwestern. 

The Northern Pacific. 

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. 

The Union Pacific. 

The Southern Pacific. 

Local Railroad Development. 

Large competing systems. 

Small tributary roads. 

Biographies of Well Known Railroad Men. 

Matthias W. Baldwin (1795-1866). See Appleton’s Cyclopaedia 
of American Biography. 

Daniel Drew (1797-1879). See The Book of Daniel Drew: A 
Glimpse of the Fisk-Gonld-Tweed Regime from the Inside, by 
Bouck White. Doubleday, Page and Company, 1910. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


95 


Peter Cooper (1791-1883). See Peter Cooper, by R. W. Ray¬ 
mond. The Riverside Biographical Series, No. 4. Houghton, 
Mifflin and Company, 1901. 

John Murray Forbes (1813-1898). See An American Railroad 
Builder, by Henry Greenleaf Pearson. Houghton, Mifflin and 
Company, 1911. 

Jay Gould (1836-1892). See Chapters of Erie and Other Essays, 
by Charles F. Adams, Jr. and Henry Adams. J. R. Osgood 
and Company, 1871. 

Edward H. Harriman (1848-1909). See New International En¬ 
cyclopedia. 

James J. Hill (1838-1916). See Little Journeys to the Homes of 
Great Business Men: James J. Hill, by Elbert Hubbard. The 
Roycrofters, East Aurora, New York, 1909. 

George M. Pullman (1831-1897). See The Story of the Pullman 
Car, by Joseph Husband. A. C. McClurg and Company, 1917. 

George Stephenson (1781-1848). See Railroads: Their Origin 
and Problems, by Charles F. Adams. Putnam, 1878. Also 
George mid Robert Stephenson, by Samuel Smiles. Harper 
and Brothers, 1868. 

Lord Strathcona (Donald Alexander Smith) (1820-1914). See 
Lord Strathcona: The Story of His Life, by Beckles Willson. 
Methuen and Company, London, 1902. Also Strathcona and 
the Making of Canada, by W. T. R. Preston. McBride, Nast 
and Company, New York, 1915. 

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877). See A Chapter of Erie and 
Other Essays, by Charles F. Adams. Also New International 
Encyclopedia, Second Edition. 

Henry Villard (1835-1900). See Memoirs of Henry Villard. 
Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1904. 

The State Industrial Welfare Commission. 

The conditions which made necessary the creation of the Commis¬ 
sion. 

The scope of its authority. 

The beneficial regulations of the Commission in regard to the work 
of minors including : 

Age, rate of pay, hours of work, overtime, day of rest, lighting 
of work rooms, ventilation, temperature, sanitary conditions, 
fire exits, etc. 


96 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


The State Industrial Accident Commission. 

The conditions which made necessary the creation of the Commis¬ 
sion. 

The scope of its authority. 

The regulations of the Commission in regard to the employment 
of minors. 

Health and Hygiene. 

Personal cleanliness and neat appearance as an asset in business. 

The care of the teeth, hair, and hands. 

The right kind of food, exercise, and clothing. 

The importance of proper exercise, recreation, and rest. 

The amount of sleep necessary for the proper performance of one’s 
work. 

The value of correct bodily posture when working at a desk. 

How to protect one’s self when going out in wind or rain. 

Business Ethics and Decorum. 

Honesty in the performance of one’s duties, even when not under 
direct supervision. 

Appropriate manners toward officials and fellow workers. 

Responsibility of the employee in maintaining the good reputation 
of the company and upholding its ideals. 

The importance of holding as confidential any information which 
might be of use to competitors. 

The important part played by politeness and courtesy in promo¬ 
tion. 

Citizenship. 

Necessity for regulations in civic and business life. 

The necessity for the regulation of public utilities. 

The value of cooperation in civic and business life. 

The demands of good citizenship upon railroad employees. 

The contribution every good citizen should make toward the work¬ 
ing order. 


SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 


97 


SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 

The lessons below are intended to serve as suggestions for instruc¬ 
tors in outlining additional lessons on the same topics and on any 
other topics in the instructional material. The attempt has been 
made to organize the lesson plans so that questions and discussions 
are substituted for the lecture method. 

I. The Shipping Order and the Waybill 

Aim: To teach a part of the work in a Freight Station by follow¬ 
ing these two documents as they pass through the hands of various 
Freight Station Clerks. (A lesson for junior waybill clerks.) 

1. Who receives the freight when it comes to the station? 

2. What does he do with the freight? 

3. What notations does he make on the Shipping Order? Why? 

a. What is a Shipping Order? 

1). What is a Load Tag? 

4. To what clerk does the Receiving Clerk now send the Shipping 

Order ? 

5. What information does the Rate Clerk insert in the Shipping 

Order ? 

6. After inserting the weight, rate, charges, commodity and routing, 

to what clerk does he send the Shipping Order? 

7. What does the Billing Clerk now do ? What now happens to the 

Shipping Order? 

8. After the Billing Clerk has made out the Waybill who gets it? 

9. Why should the Yard Master receive the Waybill? 

10. What does the Yard Master do with the Waybill? 

11. What use has the Conductor for the Waybill? 

12. When the freight arrives at destination, what does the Conductor 

do with the Waybill? 

13. What do the Checking and Revising Clerks do with the Waybill ? 

Why ? To whom do they now pass it ? 

14. What does the Expense Billing Clerk do? To whom does he pass 

the Waybill? 

15. What use does the Abstract Clerk make of the Waybill? 

16. What now happens to the Waybill? 

17. What departments in a large Freight Station are made necessary 

by this work with Shipping Order and Waybill? 

18. In a small country station who does all of the above work? 

19. Why are departments necessary in one case and not in the other? 

Note: A similar lesson might be developed to teach the work of the various bureaus through which 
the Waybill subsequently passes in the Office of the Auditor of Freight Accounts. 


98 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


II. Geography 

Aim: To teach junior employees the facts of geography which will 
be of practical value to them as employees of railroad companies. 

1. Name the States into which your company’s lines extend? 

2. Draw quickly a rough outline map of these States and trace on 

it your company’s main lines to their terminal cities. 

3. Which of these cities are served directly by other large competing 

roads ? 

4. Does the road of any other company parallel the road of your 

company to these cities? 

If so, compare the nature of the country traversed by both roads 
as to mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, valleys. Of what im¬ 
portance is this ? 

5. Make a list of the important commodities originating in the terri¬ 

tory traversed by your company’s main lines. 

a. When do these commodities move? 

b. From which main centers? 

c. What is their destination? 

d. Which yield most revenue to your company per carload ? 

Which least? Why the difference? 

6. Make a list of the more important commodities which move into the 

territory served by your company. 

a. Does the outbound movement of commodities coincide in 

time with the inbound movement ? 

b. What is the relation between freight costs and the simul¬ 

taneous interchange of commodities? 

III. The Passenger Ticket 

A lesson for junior employees in the office of the Auditor of Passen¬ 
ger Accounts. 

Aim: To develop a clear understanding of the functions of the 
various bureaus in the auditing department. 

1. Name the different kinds of tickets which your company might issue 
to a person (not an employee) for transportation exclusively 
over its own lines. 

a. Why are there so many kinds of tickets? 

b. How can a railroad company afford to issue a commuta¬ 

tion book, an excursion ticket, or a round trip ticket 
at a lower rate than that at which it sells a single 

one way ticket? 

*/ 


SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 


99 


c. Name some of the company’s expenses which would re¬ 

main unchanged whether the company carried fifty 
passengers or two hundred on a certain local train. 

d. Thinking of your own department, name some expenses 

which would increase under the above circumstances. 

2. What is a home interline ticket? A foreign interline ticket? 

3. What four classes of home interline tickets might your company 

issue to an individual? 

Why does your company make a separate classification of ‘‘gov¬ 
ernment” tickets? 

4. Is your company under any special obligation to the government 

in the matter of carrying government passengers? How did 
this obligation arise? 

5. Name some of the different kinds of tickets, exclusive of excursion 

tickets and government tickets, which your company might 

issue to carry a number of individuals in a single party going 

bv the same train to the same destination. 

*/ 

6. During a certain month your company honors five hundred tickets 

of a certain foreign line. Tell as fully as you can about the 
clerical work and reports to which that circumstance gives rise. 

IV. Correspondence 

Aim: To teach juniors to write clear, concise English on topics 
related to their work in railroad offices. 

1. Your friend contemplates coming to California. Write him a letter 

urging him to come via the lines of your company. Give a few 
good reasons why he should come that way. Do not write more 
than one page. 

2. Compare this letter with some of those written by other members 

of the class, as to good English, clearness, brevity, force of the 
arguments or reasons presented. 

3. You discover in checking tickets that an agent has failed to include 

a certain ticket on his “Daily Report of Home Interline Tickets 
Sold.” Write a letter which must be courteous, brief, and 
clear, calling his attention to the omission, to the ride violated, 
and giving him proper instructions. 

4. Discuss similar letters written by various members of the class. 

5. Write a brief paper telling about the organization of the Office 

of the Auditor of Freight (or Passenger) Accounts. 

6. Write a brief paper telling in some detail of the work performed 

in the bureau in which you are employed. 


100 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Y. Law 

Aim: To teach the elements of law relating to contracts. 
Reference: Huffcut, E. AY., Elements of Business Law. Ginn and 
Company. See chapters on Contracts and chapters on Bailments. 

1. l T ou and your friend meet and agree to dine together. Can the 

agreement be enforced by either of you ? AVhy ? 

2. l r ou and your friend agree together as follows: You are to take a 

case of eggs for him in your automobile to Livermore, for which 
he is to pay you three dollars. l r ou later change your mind 
and decide not to take the eggs. Has he any grounds for legal 
action against you? AVhy? 

3. AVhat are the essentials of an enforceable agreement ? 

4. You deliver freight to the railroad company; the company accepts 

it, and the necessary documents are made out and signed. To 
what have the two parties to the contract agreed ? 

5. AVhat is the difference between the carriers in questions two and 

four? Could either of the two carriers decline to enter into 
the agreement under ordinary circumstances? 

6. Name some of the responsibilities of the carrier in question two. 

7. Name some of the responsibilities of the carrier in question four 

as distinct from those of the former carrier. 

8. Mention some contracts which the parties in question two would 

be forbidden by law from entering into. AVhy are such re¬ 
strictions imposed? 

9. Mention some legal restrictions to the agreements between {he 

parties in question four. AVhy are such restrictions necessary? 

VI. The Corporation 

Aim: To teach young workers in a corporation the distinction 
between a corporation and a partnership. 

1. \ r ou rent a news stand at which you sell newspapers and maga¬ 

zines. l r ou wish to expand your business to include a soda 
fountain, but have not sufficient capital. Name several ways 
of obtaining the necessary capital. 

2. You are unable to float a loan because you can not give sufficient 

security, but Mr. Blank is willing to furnish the necessary 
capital and go into partnership with you. A r ou decide to accept 
his offer. From your point of view what are some of the 
advantages and disadvantages of the partnership arrangement ? 
Are there any legal steps necessary before you may form the 
partnership ? 


SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 


101 


3. Assuming that you both own an equal interest, who owns and 

manages the business? 

4. Assuming that you agree, can you without legal process do any 

of the following acts: 

a. Dissolve the partnership? 

b. Put a thousand dollars additional capital into the busi¬ 

ness ? 

c. Change to the restaurant business? 

5. The town is growing rapidly and you wish to buy the building 

and greatly expand your business. Mention some objections 
to borrowing money for the purpose. If you decide not to 
borrow money, name two other ways in which you may expand 
the business. 

6^ Name some of the advantages and disadvantages of forming a new 
partnership of fifty persons, for example. 

7. You decide to form a corporation. Name the necessary steps. 

Name some of the advantages in this form of business organiza¬ 
tion. 

8. What is a charter? What information does it contain? 

9. Why is legal sanction necessary to the formation of a corporation ? 

10. AVho owns the corporation? Assuming that there are one thou¬ 

sand stockholders, how do they provide for the conduct of the 
business owned by them ? If you and your former partner own 
between you fifty-one per cent of the stock, what power does 
that give you and him in the conduct of the affairs of the cor¬ 
poration ? 

11. Mention some disadvantages to the corporate form of organiza¬ 

tion? Do these disadvantages vary in different states? 

12. Can the corporation do any of the following acts without legal 

sanction: 

a. Dissolve? 

b. Put additional capital into the business? 

c. Change the nature of the business ? 

13. Sum up the differences between partnerships and corporations as 

brought out in the discussion. 

14. Is the company which employs you a partnership or a corpora¬ 

tion ? 


102 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


VII. Transportation Charges 

Aim: To teach young workers in railroad offices the elementary 
principles of rate making. 

1. Assume that you own a five-ton auto truck and that you are 

engaged in general hauling business; that you make two trips 
daily between South Berkeley and Albany, stopping at West 
Berkeley on the way. 

2. Name some of the costs which remain substantially the same irre¬ 

spective of the volume of business you handle. 

3. Name some of the costs which increase or decrease with the volume 

of business. 

4. Can you afford to charge less for your services if you carry a load 

both going and returning? Why? 

5. Assuming that you charge one dollar for hauling a certain quan- 

tity of coal to Albany, would you be willing to haul the same 
quantity to West Berkeley for fifty cents? Why? 

6. What justification would you have for making different charges 

for the following: 

a. 500 lbs. of coal in sacks? 

b. 500 lbs. of wood shavings in sacks? 

c. 500 lbs. of eggs in crates? 

cl. 500 lbs. of dynamite in boxes? 
e. 500 lbs. of crushed rock? 

7. Why can the shipper of eggs afford to pay you more than the 

shipper of coal? 

8. How high can you make your charge for hauling any commodity, 

provided you have no competition, and still get the business? 

9. You charge one dollar for hauling 500 lbs. of coal. What justi¬ 

fication would you have for charging one dollar for carrying 
a diamond ring which you could put in your pocket ? 

10. Assuming that you are competing with another man for the busi¬ 

ness between Albany and South Berkeley, how low can either 
of you afford to make your charges ? How high can you make 
them ? 

11. Apply all of the above questions to the railroad business. 


RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION TERMS 


J 03 


RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION TERMS 


abstract 

advertising stock 
room 
agent 

assignment 

attachment 

auditor 

bad date 

baggage 

bailments 

bill-of-lading 

bond, demurrage 

bond, indemnity 

bond, reciprocal 

bureau 

cancellation 

car list 

claims bureau 

class rates 

classification 

commodity 

«/ 

commodity rates 

common carrier 

commutation book 

consignee 

consignor 

consolidation 

contracts 

dead-head 

delivery receipt 

demurrage 

department 

destination 

destroy tag 

division 

dummy abstract 
export bill of-lading 
export declaration 
express 
fixed charges 
flat-car 
follow-up 
foreign car 
foreign interline 
ticket 
forfeiture 
form letter 
freight agent 
freight bill 


freight, dead or slow 
freight, local 
freight, manifest 
freight office 
freight rates 
freight solicitor 
freight station 
freight, through 
freight, time 
freight traffic depart¬ 
ment 

garnishment 

gateway 

general freight office 
gondola 
guarantor 
Hollerith machine 
home interline ticket 
house track 
interline waybill 
invoice 

junction point 

legal entity 

local waybill 
«/ 

long haul 
manifest 

negotiable instru¬ 
ment 

non-agency 
notice of arrival 
off-line representative 
operating expenses 
order bill-of-lading 
0. S. & D. depart¬ 
ment 
passenger 
pass 

passing report 

payroll voucher 

pick-up report 

point of destination 

point of origin 

public carrier 

public utility 

railroad 

rate 

rebate 

rechecking 


R. F. & A. bureau 

requisition 

route 

schedule 

scrip 

selling station 
seniority 
set-out report 
shipper 
shipment 
shipping order 
shipping papers 
short haul 
siding 
stockholder 
suretyship 
tariff 

tariff revision 
tariff supplement 
terminal 
ticket, cancelled 
ticket checker 
ticket, children *s 
ticket, clergy 
ticket, communtation 
ticket, excursion 
ticket, first class 
ticket, immigrant 
ticket, interline 
ticket, local 
ticket, return 
ticket, round trip 
ticket, one-way 
ticket, special rate 
ticket, through 
time table 
time voucher 
tracer 

tracing bureau 

tracing date 

traffic 

train mile 

transmittal slip 

transportation 

warehouse 

waybill 

writ 

yardage 

yard office. 

t/ 


104 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


BOOKS AND MAGAZINES 

Listed below are some of the books and magazines dealing with 
railroad topics. Those which are starred are especially interesting 
to young readers. 

Books 

* Adams, Charles P. Railroads: Their Origin and Problems. (1878) 

G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 

Brown, William H. The History of the First Locomotive in America. 
(1871) D. Appleton and Company. 

^Carter, Charles F. When Railroads were New. (1909) H. Holt 
and Company. 

# Dunn, Samuel 0. The American Transportation Question. (1912) 
D. Appleton and Company. 

# Hungerford, Edward. The Modern Railroad. (1911) A. C. Mc- 
Clurg and Company. 

* Husband, Joseph. The Story of the Pullman Car. (1917) A. C. 

McClurg and Company. 

Johnson, Emory R. American Railway Transportation. (1919 
edition.) D. Appleton and Company. 

Johnson, E. R., and Van Metre, T. AY. Principles of Railroad Trans¬ 
portation. (1916) D. Appleton and Company. 

McPherson, Logan G. The Working of the Railroads. (1907) H. 
Holt and Company. 

Newcomb, Harry T. Railway Economics. (1898) Railway World 
Publishing Company, Philadelphia. 

Sakolski, Aaron H. American Railroad Economics. (1913) Mac¬ 
millan Company. 


Magazines 

Proceedings, The Journal of the Pacific Railway Club. Month 1 /, 
$3.00 per year. Published by Pacific Railway Club, 64 Pine 
Street, San Francisco. 

Railway Clerk. Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The Railway Age. Weekly, $10.00 per year. Published by the 
Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company, Wool worth Building, 
New York. 

The Railway Review. Weekly, $4.00 per year. Published by the 
Railway Review, 537 South Dearborn Street, Chicago. 


PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES, No. 7 


LEAFLET No. 3 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER 

FOR 

PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


SELECTED READING LIST 

pOR 

ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS 
IN PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


By EMILY G. PALMER 

>\ 


ISSUED BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

IN CO-OPERATION WITH 

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 


BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
SEPTEMBER, I92I 






, 






















' 





















































SELECTED READING LIST 

FOR 

ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS IN PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


The following lists of references consist of State and Federal pub¬ 
lications, and recent books and articles on various phases of Part-time 
Education, exclusive of the references included in “A First Reading 
List for Administrators and Teachers in Part-time Schools, ’ ’ published 
by this Center in August, 1920. The accompanying list is not intended 
as a complete bibliography, but a minimum reading list of the best 
publications in this field. 

A list of sources of reference material is followed by references 
classified under the following headings: Part-time and Continuation 
Schools; Corporation and Other Private Part-time Schools; Safety, 
Health, and Hygiene for Workers; Good Citizenship for Young 
Workers; Employment, Guidance, and Placement of Youths; Occu¬ 
pational Studies; and Other Suggestive Teaching Material. 


SOURCES OF REFERENCE MATERIAL 

California State Board of Education, Sacramento, California. 

Vocational Education: Compulsory Part-time Education. Bulletin no. 23, 
P-T. E. Revised, June, 1921. 

Documents Relating to Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 23-a. Fiscal 
year 1921-22. 

Federal Board for Vocational Education, Washington, D. C. 

The Vocational Summary. (Published monthly) 50 cents the year. 

Bulletins 1-69, the greater number sent free of charge. The last bulletin, 
no. 69, entitled “An Analysis of the Railway Boilermaker’s Trade,” gives a 
complete list of titles of bulletins available at present. 

U. S. Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C. 

Monthly Pecord of Current Educational Publications. Sent free. 

Gives a record of recent publications of the Bureau of Education and also 
a classified list of references to educational books and periodicals. 

U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The Monthly Labor Peview. $1.50 the year, 15 cents the copy. Also bulletins 
in regard to employment, health of workers, etc. Sent free. 

U. S. Department of Labor, Children’s Bureau and Women’s Bureau. 
Publications pertaining to child welfare, health standards, etc. 

University of California, Division of Vocational Education, Research and 
Service Center for Part-time Schools, Berkeley, California. 

Bulletins and Leaflets of the Part-time Education Series. 



4 


In the following 1 educational magazines articles will be found from time to time: 
The Industrial Arts Magazine. The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, 
Wis. $2.50 per year. 

Manual Training Magazine. Manual Arts Press, Peoria, Ill. $1.50 per year. 
School and Society. Science Press, Lancaster, Pa. $5.00 per year, weekly. 

School Life. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education, Washington, 
D. C. Published twice a month. Sent free. 

The Survey. A weekly magazine published by Survey Associates, Inc., 112 
East 19th Street, New York. 15c a copy, $5.00 per year. Has a department 
of “School and Community /’ conducted by Joseph K. Hart. 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 

Alltucker, Margaret M. Coordination in Part-time Education. University of 
California. Division of Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 3. March, 1921. 

Outlines the factors of coordination and the agencies by which it may be 
accomplished. 

Bawden, William T. The Cooperative School. U. S. Bureau of Education. In¬ 
dustrial Education Circular no. 2. Feb., 1919. 

Gives examples of cooperative education in public and private schools, gives 
the advantages of the system, and adds a bibliography. 

Bazeley, E. T. Two Experiments in Voluntary Co-ntinuation Schools. Journal 
of Experimental Pedagogy, 6:20-26. March 5, 1921. 

Describes the work with sixty continuation school girls in England, the nature 
of the problem, ease studies, and the methods which achieved the desired goal. 

Best, Robert Hall, and Ogden, C. K. The Problem of the Continuation School 
and its Successful Solution in Germany: A Consecutive Policy. London, P. S. 
King & Son, Orchard Plouse, Westminster. 1914. 

Describes and illustrates the types of occupational training given in the 
Munich and other continuation schools. 

Calkins, Marion Clinch. The Part-time School. The Survey, 46:276. May 28, 
1921. 

Advocates the cooperative alternating plan of part-time education. 

Clark, Ruth Swan. The Continuation School, The Survey, 45:541-2. Jan. 8, 
1921. 

Shows the field of service of the continuation school in New Y^ork City—to 
individuals of the group, to the industrial world, and to the parents. 

Compulsory Part-time School Attendance Laws. Federal Board for Vocational 
Education. Bulletin no. 55. Trade and Industrial Series no. 14. Aug., 1920. 

Gives a survey and an analysis of the compulsory part-time school attendance 
laws enacted in the various states up to August, 1920. 

Consular Report on Continuation Schools in Prussia. Government Printing Office, 
Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Education, Bulletin, 1913, no. 9. Whole 
no. 516. 

Has brief articles on continuation schools and their scope in Magdeburg, 
Erfurt, Brunswick, Barmen and Breslau. 

Continuation Classes in England, School and Society, 12:223. Sept. 18, 1920. 

Indicates the large number of pupils receiving instruction in continuation 
classes provided by English firms employing large numbers of youths between 
the ages of fourteen and eighteen years. 


5 


Cooley, R. L. Vocational Education in the Continuation Schools. National 
Society for Vocational Education. Bulletin no-. 32. June, 1920, p. 136-150. 

Shows the relation of continuation schools to the whole field of education, 
means of promoting the scheme, the classification of groups found in the 
continuation school, and some of the problems to be worked out. 

Courses of Training for Store Service in Continuation and Secondary Schools. 
In Teaming for Store Service. Women’s Educational and Industrial Union. 
Boston, 1920. p. 87-106. 

Discusses the positions for workers in department stores and suggests courses 
for various groups. 

Day Continuation School Opportunities in London. Manual Training Magazine, 
1 22:303. March, 1921. 

Notes the opening of continuation schools in London and outlines briefly the 
curriculum. 

Dean, Arthur D. A Point of View. Manual Training Magazine, 22:75-76. 
Sept., 1920. 

The outlook and problems of the new continuation schools in New York State. 

Dean, Arthur D. A Point of View. Manual Training Magazine, 22:4 and 6. 
Oct. and Dec., 1920. 

The varied types of education which may be presented to suit different needs. 

Evening and Part-time Schools in the Textile Industry of the Southern States. 
Federal Board for Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 30. Trade and In¬ 
dustrial Series no. 5. April, 1919. 

Gives outlines of short-unit courses for textile workers and analyses of many 
textile occupations. 

Industrial Opportunities and Training for Women and Girls. U. S. Department 
of Labor. Women’s Bureau. Bulletin no. 13. 1920. 

Gives a summary of the type of industrial training given women and girls 
in this country in 1919-20. 

Kersey, Vierling. The Coordinator in the Los Angeles Part-time Instruction 
Department. Los Angeles School Journal, IV: 3—4. June 13, 1921. 

Gives a terse analysis of the duties of the coordinator in the part-time school. 

Leavitt, Frank M. Launching Part-time Cooperative Education on a Large 
Scale. Manual Training Magazine, 20:267—71. April, 1919. 

A resume of the Pittsburgh plan of cooperative part-time education which 
is entered into jointly by several of the large department stores, the Carnegie 
Institute of Technology, and the public schools. 

London Continuation School Curriculum. Manual Training Magazine, 22:45. 
August, 1920. 

A short article on the hours, curriculum, and aim of the continuation school in 
London. 

London’s Great Experiment. New Statesman, 16:411-12. Jan. 8, 1921. 

Describes the conditions under which the London Day Continuation Schools 
opened. 

MacDonald, D. J. Outstanding Administrative Problems in Part-time Education. 
Industrial Arts Magazine, 10:323-28. Sept., 1921. 

Discusses five problems which are uppermost in part-time education—namely, 
finding suitable subject matter, securing competent teachers, providing ade¬ 
quate and suitable class rooms, getting pupil cooperation, and arranging a 
satisfactory program. 


6 


Myers, George E. Problems in Vocational Education in Germany with Special 
Application to Conditions in the United States. U. S. Bureau of Education. 
Bulletin no. 33. Whole no. 660. 1915. 

Discusses four problems in continuation education in Germany, namely, con¬ 
tinuation schools for boys in unskilled occupations, for girls and women, for 
training industrial continuation school teachers, and the system of dual con¬ 
trol. 

New York City Continuation Schools. School Life, 5:7. Nov. 1, 1920. 

Gives the aim of the schools as vocational guidance and placement, allaying 
social unrest, and developing a feeling of civic responsibility. 

Nusbaum, Louis. The Organization of Continuation Schools in Philadelphia. 
Educational Foundations, 32:111-13. Oct., 1920. 

Discusses the problems of the continuation school in Philadelphia as to school 
location and the arrangements as to attendance, teachers, and class work. 

The Obligatory Continuation School. Schools of Scandinavia, Finland, and Hol¬ 
land. U. S. Bureau of Education. Bulletin no. 29, 1919, p. 36-39. 

Gives the purpose of the compulsory continuation schools which go into full 
effect in Sweden in 1924. The hours of instruction, state aid, and teacher 
training are also discussed. 

Palmer, Emily G. The Application Blank for Enrollment in Part-time Schools: 
a Statistical Study. University of California. Division of Vocational Educa¬ 
tion. Part-time News Notes, no. 4. April, 1921. 

Classifies the occupations in which the permit-workers of the part-time schools 
of the East Bay Cities are engaged, and suggests an application blank for 
enrollment. 

Park, C. W. The Cooperative System of Education. U. S. Bureau of Education. 
Bulletin no. 37. 1916. 

Gives a .11 account of the plan as developed in the college of engineering of the 
University of Cincinnati. 

The Part-time School and the State’s Educational Program. The Vocational 
Summary, 4:9-10. May, 1921. 

Gives a short statement of the provisions each state should make in its educa¬ 
tional program to bridge the gap between schooling and earning. 

Part-time Schools and Classes. In Trade and Industrial Education for Girls and 
Women. Federal Board for Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 58. Oct., 1920. 

Outlines the field, suggests cooperating agencies, and courses of study. 

Progress in Part-time Education in Los Angeles. University of California. Divi¬ 
sion of Vocational Education. Part-time News Notes, no. 2. Dec., 1920. 

Presents the blanks and forms used in the Department of Part-time Instruc¬ 
tion in Los Angeles. 

Schneider, Herman. Education for Industrial TVorkers. AVorld Book Comoanv 
1915. 1 

Chapters on the cooperative course, and the continuation school; how to 
inaugurate them, with some advantages of the two plans. 

School and the Flannel Shirt. The Survey, 46:56. April 9, 1921. 

Gives an account of what is being done in the part-time rural schools of Wis¬ 
consin. 

Sewrey, U. Boy. How Rockford, Illinois, is Meeting the Industrial Education 
Problem. Manual Training Magazine, 20 :272-75. April, 1919. 

Two part-time groups are provided for in the Bockford plan, permit boys 
between the ages of 14 and 16 who work in pairs, attending school half time, 
and apprentice boys 16 to 21 years of age who attend school only one-half day 
a week. Beside full-time trade classes, there is a prevocational grade school 
group which includes all the boys from all the eighth grades of the city, who 
are given a varied shop exposure. 


7 


Siegel, Morris E. The Aims and Problems of the Continuation School. Educa¬ 
tional Foundations, 32:114-15. Oct., 1920. 

An address given by the Director of Evening and Continuation Schools of 
New York City. 

Snedden, David. The Theory of the Vestibule and Upgrading Vocational School. 
School and Society, 11:280-84. March 6, 1920. 

Discusses the problems of the social justification for public support of factory 
training schools; representation in the control of such schools; and the means 
of fostering instruction in related industrial information. 

Tenney, W. A. The Work of the Director of Part-time Education. University of 
California. Division of Vocational Education. Part-time News Notes, no. 3. 
Jan., 1921. 

Gives a report of the first problems of the director of Part-time Education in 
a city of two hundred thousand. 

Three Months .of Coordination in the Oakland Schools. University of California. 
Division of Vocational Education. Part-time News Notes, no. 1. Nov., 1920. 

Gives a report of the first problems of a coordinator in preparing for and 
opening a part-time school. 

Vocational Education: Compulsory Part-time Education. California State Board 
of Education. Bulletin no. 23, P-T. E. Revised, June, 1921. 

Gives an analysis of the Part-time Education Act, discusses the type of in¬ 
struction, content of courses, characteristics of part-time pupils, administra¬ 
tive problems, etc. 

Vocational Education Plus Inspiration Holds Junior Employees. Dry Goods 
Economist, no. 3981, Oct. 23, 1920, p. 15-16. 

Indicates the large number of junior workers found in the field of retail 
merchandising and the value of the continuation school to the merchant when 
training is adapted to the individual. 

Wray, W. J., and Ferguson, R. W. A Day Continuation School at Work. Long¬ 
mans, Green & Co. 1920. 

Consists of twelve papers on continuation schools for boys, continuation 
schools for girls, the teaching of special subjects, coordination, and the 
employer’s part in the scheme. 


CORPORATION AND OTHER PRIVATE PART-TIME SCHOOLS 

Foght, H. W. A Half-time Mill School. U. S. Bureau of Education. Bulletin 
no. 6. 1919. 

Outlines the plan of the South Carolina Textile Industrial Institute to find, 
train, and prepare economic and social leaders for the cotton-mill population. 

Fuld, Leonhard F. Service Instruction of American Corporations. U. S. 
Bureau of Education. Bulletin no. 34. 1916. 

Reviews the service instruction given by department stores, telephone com¬ 
panies, General Electric Company, Lakeside Press, etc. 

Industrial Training in Representative Industries. U. S. Department of Labor. 
U. S. Training Service. Training Bulletin no. 13. 1919. 

One of a series of twenty-six bulletins giving the kind of training which 
has been given or should be given in certain industries. 

Knox, J. Port Sunlight Works Continuation School. Lever Brothers, Port Sun¬ 
light, England. 1920. 

Gives an account of the voluntary organization of the continuation school in 
Lever Brothers plant and the courses given in trade work and in the “hobby 
school. ’ ’ 


8 


Morris, John Van Liew. Employee Training. McGraw Hill Book Co. 1921. 

Includes the training programs in the electrical manufacturing industry, in 
rubber and automobile industries, and in other manufacturing concerns; mod¬ 
ern apprenticeship programs; and special problems of training. 

Myers, George E. How Industry is Meeting the Problem of Industrial Education. 
Manual Training Magazine, 22:27-31. Aug., 1920. 

Notes the recent change in the attitude of industry toward industrial educa¬ 
tion and the education of the employee. 


SAFETY, HEALTH, AND HYGIENE FOR WORKERS 


Allen, W. H. Cwics and Health. Ginn. 1909. 

Bases efficient citizenship on health and suggests curative and preventive 
measures. 


Bussey, George D. A Manual of Personal Hygiene. Ginn. 1917. 

Discusses ventilation, eating, care of the teeth, of the hair, of the nose and 
throat; the importance of bacteria, etc. 

Causes of Heath, by Occupation. U. S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics. Bulletin whole no. 207. Industrial Accidents and Hvsiene Series 
no. 11. 1917. 

Gives the results of an analysis of the occupational mortality experience of 
the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. 

Conserving Children in the Industries of Massachusetts. Commonwealth of Massa¬ 
chusetts. Department of Labor and Industries. Division of Industrial Safetv. 
Industrial Bulletin no. 15. 1920. 

Emphasizes the “value of cooperation with the continuation school” to 
educate the child relative to the dangers and hazards of modern industry 

Health Hazards in the Millinery Industry in New York City. Monthly Labor 
Review, 11:107-109. Aug., 1920. 

Indicates the health risks in making artificial flowers, velvet, feathers, etc. 

Hygiene of the Painter’s Trade. U. S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics. Bulletin Avhole no. 120. Industrial Accidents and HvsAene Series 
no. 2. May, 1913. 

Gives an analysis of the composition of various kinds of paint and the 
physiological effect of the constituents. 


Hygiene of the Printing Trades. U. S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics. Bulletin no. 209. Industrial Accident and Hygiene Series no l 9 
April, 1917. 

Presents some of the occupational hazards in the printing trades and methods 
of lessening the danger of disease. 


Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. 
First Aid in the Home; Living and 
City. 


Pamphlets on The Health of the Worker; 
Sleeping in the Open Air; etc. New York 


Gives useful information in regard to means of gaining and keeping good 
ncal in. 


Minimum Standards of Children Entering Employment. In Standards of Child 
Welfare. U. S. Department of Labor. Children’s Bureau. Conference Series 
no. 1. Bureau Publication no. 60, p. 433-35. 

Gives a summary of standards in regard to age, education, physical condition 
bonus, wage, etc., for juvenile workers. 


9 


Safe Practices Pamphlets. National Safety Council, 168 North Michigan Avenue, 
Chicago. 

A series of pamphlets sent to active members of the National Safety Council. 
They include about fifty topics, among which are belts and belt guards, scaf¬ 
folds, goggles, safe clothing, etc. 

Tolman, William H., and Guthrie, Adelaide W. Hygiene for the Worker. 
American Book Co. 1912. 

Has chapters on: preparing for the day’s work, suitable clothing, food and 
drink, fatigue, occupational dangers, etc. 

Training Courses in Safety and Hygiene in the Building Trades. U. S. Federal 
Board for Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 31. Trade and Industrial 
Series no. 6. May, 1919. 

Discusses proper safety precautions for the building trades worker, for his 
fellow workers, and for the public. Part II gives suggestions to teachers. 

Woodbury, Helen Sumner. Working Children of Boston. Monthly Labor Re¬ 
view, 12:45-59. Jan., 1921. 

1 ‘ The purpose of this study was to ascertain the amount, character, conditions, 
and effects of employment of children under 16 years of age in an American 
city of diversified industries and a considerable volume of trade. ’ ’ 


GOOD CITIZENSHIP FOR YOUNG WORKERS 

Ames, Edgar W., and Eldred, Arvie. Community Civics. Macmillan. 1921. 

Beginning with the home and the relation of the members of the home, the 
book treats of community relations and problems, and finally of the state and 
national government. 

Cabot, Mrs. Ella Lyman, and Others. Course in Citizenship and Patriotism. 
Houghton. 1918. 

Gives lesson material for each month of the year for the first eight grades. 
Subjects for talks, lists of poems, and stories to read make it a source book 
of value. 

Dunn, A. W. Community ttnd the Citizen. Heath. 1907. 

A textbook for use in developing a knowledge of the interrelation of citizen 
and community, stated in language suited to youths of the part-time school 
age. Each chapter suggests problems for investigation and gives references. 

Field, Jessie, and Nearing, Scott. Community Civics. Macmillan. 1916. 

A discussion of the civic problems in rural communities. 

Fifteen Lessons in Thrift. Savings Division, U. S. Treasury Department. August, 
1919. (Obtainable in California from the Director of the District, 315 Bat¬ 
tery Street, San Francisco, California.) 

Giles, F. M., and I. K. Vocational Civics. Macmillan. 1919. 

Citizenship through service in some occupation is the theme. Contains good 
reading lists on a large number of occupations. 

Griscom, Ellwood. Americanization. Macmillan. 1920. 

Contains selections from American statesmen, speakers, and writers on many 
phases of our national life. 

Hill, Mabel. Lessons for Junior Citizens. Ginn. 1906. 

Through stories, gives the functions of the police department, the board of 
health, the fire department and other city and state departments. Used as a 
reader for foreigners with a limited knowledge of English. 


10 


Hughes, R. O. Community Civics. Allyn and Bacon. 1917. 

Has four parts covering the following topics: community life, elements of 
community welfare, the mechanism of our government, and problems of 
national scope. The last topic includes financial problems, economic and in¬ 
dustrial problems, and social problems. Good illustrations. 

Hughes, R. O. Economic Civics. Allyn and Bacon. 1921. 

Has excellent chapters on: the things we need, the things we want, producing 
things, modern business, making living conditions better, etc. Good illus¬ 
trations. 

Leavitt, F. M., and Brown, Edith. Elementary Social Science. Macmillan. 
1917. 

The book presents an interesting treatment of economic problems in form 
to interest young citizens. 

Lessons in Community and National Life. U. S. Bureau of Education. Com¬ 
munity Leaflets nos. 1-24. 1917-18. 

Four lessons in each leaflet with a list of reference material on each topic, 
make up this series of lessons on topics which include the water supply of a 
town or city, preventing waste, the rise of machine industry, social control, 
inventions, etc. 

Teaching Children How to Save. Savings Division, War Loan Organization. U. S. 
Treasury Department. 1920. 

Turkington, Grace A. My Country: a Textbook in Civics and Patriotism for 
Young Americans. Ginn. 1918. 

The book “aims to create a background which will help the teacher develop 
a spirit of true patriotism * ’ and treats of the technical relation of the citizen 
to his country. 


EMPLOYMENT, GUIDANCE, AND PLACEMENT OF YOUTHS 

Advising Children in their Choice of Occupation and Supervising the Working 
Child. U. S. Children's Bureau. Children's Year Leaflet no. 10. Bureau 
Publication no. 53. April, 1919. 

Discusses what might be done in organizing placement bureaus and follow-up 
supervision for employed youths. 

Bibliography on Vocational Guidance: A Selected List of Vocational Guidance 
Deferences for Teachers. Federal Board for Vocational Education. Bulletin 
no. 66. June, 1921. 

Children Leaving School for Work. School and Society, 12:49-50. July 10, 1920. 
Shows the need of a placement bureau in the schools. 

Davidson, Ronald C. Juvenile Placement in Great Britain. Standards of Child 
Welfare. U. S. Department of Labor. Children’s Bureau. Conference Series 
no. 1. Bureau Publication no. 60. 1919, p. 132-141. 

The work of the Juvenile Labor Exchange in England in placing and super¬ 
vising juveniles in employment and carrying on propaganda to promote the 
work. 

Digest of Laws Appertaining to the Employment of Minors. California Bureau 
of Labor Statistics. This pamphlet can be obtained by sending to the State 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 948 Market Street, San Francisco. 


11 


The Employment-certificate System: A Safeguard for the Working Child. U. S. 
Department of Labor. Children’s Bureau. Children’s Year Leaflet no. 12. 
Bureau Publication no. 56. 1919. 

Emphasizes the importance of a careful physical examination of each child 
before issuing the working permit and follow-up supervision during employ¬ 
ment. 

Evans, Owen D. Vocational Guidance in the Continuation School. Manual 
Training Magazine, 23:209-14. Jan., 1921. 

/ 

Advocates guiding youths in acquiring the most information from each job 
and a plan of follow-up to see that the youthful worker has a plan and is 
alive to the opportunities ahead of him regardless of the job in which he 
starts. 

Gallagher, Rachel. Vocational Guidance and the Juvenile Placement Work of 
a Public Labor Exchange. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the 
American Association of Public Employment Offices. U. S. Department of 
Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin whole no. 220. Employment 
and Unemployment Series no. 6. 1917, p. 56-58. 

A discussion by the directors of the Girls’ and Women’s Bureau of Cleveland, 
Ohio, showing the conditions which must be met in placing young workers. 

Goldmark, Pauline. The Child at Work. The Survey, 45:604-5. Jan. 22, 1921. 

A review of a study of the industrial history of Connecticut children based on 
information contained in the employment certificates. 

Jarvis, C. D. Work of School Children During Out-of-School Hours. U. S. 
Bureau of Education. Bulletin no. 20. 1917. 

Summary of an investigation covering the activities of over 14,000 children, 
giving the kind of employment, reasons for leaving school, and recommenda¬ 
tions for continuation courses. 

Labor Legislation of 1919. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin no. 277. 
Jan., 1921. 

Gives the text of the laws of various states relating to labor enacted since 
Jan. 1, 1919. A very good index makes reference to employment of children, 
vocational education acts, etc. 

Measures Concerning Juvenile Workers. The Survey, 45:19, section II. Feb. 5, 
1921. 

Shows the service the schools may render the youth in giving him training 
while out of employment and the payment of a small wage until employment 
is secured. 


Miner, James B. Standardizing Tests for Vocational Guidance. School and 
Society, 13:629. June 4, 1921. 

States the need for standardization of test data on different occupations, and 
outlines two lines of research Avork. 

Next Steps in Child Labor. The Survey, 45:535. Jan. 8, 1921. 

Points out society has not interested itself sufficiently in discovering what 
work children ought to have and seeing that it is provided as a part of their 
education. 

The Principles of Vocational Guidance. The American Child, 3:71. May, 1921. 
The statement adopted by the National Vocational Guidance Association in 
convention at Atlantic City, Feb., 1921. 

Reed, Anna Y. Junior Wage Earners. Macmillan. 1920. 

A discussion of the functions and methods of guidance, placement, and follow¬ 
up in the employment of young workers. 


12 


State Compulsory School Attendance: Standards Affecting the Employment of 
Minors. U. S. Department of Labor. Children’s Bureau. Chart Series no. 2. 
January 1, 1921. 

Analyzes all the states’ laws in regard to compulsory attendance for day 
schools, continuation schools, and evening schools. 

The States and Child Labor: Lists of States with Certain Restrictions as to Ages 
and Hours. U. S. Department of Labor. Children’s Bureau. Children’s 
Year Leaflet no. 13. Bureau Publication no. 58. 1919. 

Gives for certain states, minimum working age, maximum working hours, 
compulsory school attendance, etc., up to the year 1919. 

Woodbury, Robert W. Industrial Instability of Child Workers. U. S. Children’s 
Bureau. Industrial Series no. 5. Bureau Publication no. 74. 1920. 

A study based on the employment certificate records in Connecticut. Shows 
how soon after reaching legal working age children seek work, the unsatis¬ 
factory adjustments resulting in unsteady employment, and the problems 
resulting from unemployment. 


OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES • 

Allen, Frederick J. A Guide to the Study of Occupations: A Selected Critical 
Bibliography of the Common Occupations with Specific References for their 
Study. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. 1921. 

Gives a list of references in the nine occupational fields classified in accordance 
with the United States Census. 

« 

An Analysis of Department Store Occupations for Juniors. University of Califor¬ 
nia. Division of Vocational Education. Bulletin no. 2. Dec., 1920. 

Analyzes the work of the wrapper, cashier, stock clerk, marker, and messenger. 

An Analysis of the Railway Boilermaker’s Trade. Federal Board for Vocational 
Education. Bulletin no. 69. Trade and Industrial Series no. 21. June, 1921. 

Analyzes the trade in four large blocks and includes the necessary supple¬ 
mentary topics of instruction. 

Analysis of Textile Occupations as Basis of Recommending Courses of Instruction 
for Evening and Part-time Classes. In Evening and Part-time Schools in the 
Textile Industry of the Southern States. Federal Board for Vocational Edu¬ 
cation. Bulletin no. 30. Trade and Industrial Series no. 5. April, 1919. 

Analyzes individual jobs under the headings of duties, promotion, and instruc¬ 
tion, and gives a running analysis of manufacturing processes. 

Berry, R. E. An analysis of Clerical Positions for Juniors in Railway Transpor¬ 
tation. University of California. Division of Vocational Education. Bulletin 
no. 5. July, 1921. 

Analyzes twenty typical clerical positions in the division offices of a laro-e 
railroad. 

Campion, H. A. Junior Employees in the Retail Drug Business. University of 
California. Division of Vocational Education. Part-time News Notes no. 5. 
May, 1921. 

Analyzes the work done by junior employees in a large number of drug stores, 
and suggests instruction for advancement in the drug business. 


13 


Descriptions of Occupations. U. S. Department of Labor. Prepared for the U. S. 
Employment Service by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 191 81 . 

A series of publications designed to give a brief description of occupations 
and the qualifications necessary for performance of the tasks. Logging camps 
and mills, textiles and clothing, street railways, etc., are among the fields 
described. 

Gowin, E. B., and Wheatley, W. A. Occupations. Ginn. 191(3. 

Discusses many occupations in some detail—written for use in a full-time 
high school. 

Jessup, Eva, and Blanchard, Clyde. An Analysis of the Work of Juniors in 
Banks. University of California. Division of Vocational Education. Bulletin 
no. 4. May, 1921. 

Contains an analysis of nine positions which are commonly filled by junior 
employees in banks and suggests training units. 

Leonard, Egbert J. A Report of the Richmond, Indiana, Survey for Vocational 
Education. The Indiana State Board of Education. Educational Bulletin, 
Vocational Series no. 15. Indiana Survey Series no. 3. Dec., 1916. 

Describes a wide range of occupational fields and analyzes individual jobs 
under the following headings: what the worker does, special knowledge re¬ 
quired, special skill required, how special knowledge and skill are obtained, 
and hazards and inherent character of the work. 

Opportunity Monographs. Federal Board for Vocational Education. Vocational 
Rehabilitation Series nos. 1-44. 1918-20. 

Give descriptions of a large number of occupations, discussed from the point 
of vieAV of placing and training the disabled soldier. 

A Survey and Analysis of the Pottery Industry. Federal Board for Vocational 
Education. Bulletin no. 67. Trade and Industrial Series no. 20. June, 1921. 

Contains an analysis of thirty-two payroll jobs in the pottery industry and 
gives a survey of working conditions, training provided, etc. 

Survey of Junior Commercial Occupations. Federal Board for Vocational Educa¬ 
tion. Bulletin no. 54. Commercial Education Series no. 4. June, 1920. 

Gives analyses of junior commercial occupations open to boys and girls under 
eighteen years of age. 

Theory and Practice for the Machinist’s Trade. Federal Board for Vocational 
Education. Bulletin no. 52. Trade and Industrial Series no. 13. Dec., 1919. 

Gives an analysis of the machinist’s trade with outlines of instruction in 
related subjects. 

Vocational Education Survey of Minneapolis, Minn. U. S. Department of Labor. 
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin whole no. 199. Vocational Education 
Series no. 1. 1916. 

Gives an analysis of the industries of the city, the kind of instruction needed 
for workers in these industries and the best way of iriiparting the instruction. 


14 


OTHER SUGGESTIVE TEACHING MATERIAL 

Barclay, Lorne W. Educational Work of the Boy Scouts. U. S. Bureau of 
Education. Bulletin no. 24. 1919. 

Shows that “scouting is literally education” and how it can be used as a 
supplementary activity to the school program. 

Bishop, Avard L., and Keller, Albert G. Industry and Trade: Historical and 
Descriptive Account of their Development in the United States. Ginn. 1918. 

Gives, for young readers, an interesting treatment of the development of 
industry and commerce, but has only a brief treatment of the human side 
of the question, discussing very briefly the relation of capital and labor. 

Burns, Elmer E. The Story of Great Inventions. Harper. 1910. 

Beginning with stories of the first great inventions, there follow stories of the 
steam-engine, the dynamo, the battery, the telegraph, the telephone, gas 
engines, the aeroplane, the submarine, wireless telegraph and telephone, and 
the X-ray. 

Coe, Fanny E. Heroes of Everyday Life. Ginn. 1911. 

A compilation of stories of the diver, the telegraph operator, the civil engi¬ 
neer, the day laborer, the life-saver, the fireman, the engineer at sea, and the 
miner, intended for readers of part-time school age. 

Davis, Roy, and Getchell, Frederick G. Stories of the Dan’s Work Ginn 
1921. 

Contains selections from the works of well-known authors which “deal with 
modern conditions in a way that is always within the comprehension of bovs 
and girls.” J 

Lou, Juliette. Girl Scouts as an Educational Force. U. S. Bureau of Education 
Bulletin no. 33. 1919. 

Gives a review of the scope of the Girl Scout work and their field of service 
in a number of cities. 

Van Buskirk, E. F., and Smith, E. L. The Science of Every Day Life. Houghton 
Mifflin & Co. 1919. J J J • -n-u ugm,un 

A text giving projects on air, water, food, forces of nature, house building 
lighting and heating, clothing and its care, household machinerv, communica¬ 
tion, transportation, etc. 


LIST OF PUBLICATIONS 

OF THE 

DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 


PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES 

Bulletin No. 1. Syllabus of an Introductory Course on Part-time Education. 
January, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Lesson Plans and Reports for use in connection with the Introductory Course on 
Part-time Education. (Out of print.) 

Leaflet No. 1. A First Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in Part- 
time Schools. August, 1920. 

Leaflet No. 2. The Work of Coordination in Part-time Education. November, 
1920. (Out of print.) 

Bulletin No. 2. An Analysis of Department Store Occupations for Juniors. 
December, 1920. 

Bulletin No. 3. Coordination in Part-time Education. March, 1921. (A revision 
of Leaflet No. 2.) 

Bulletin No. 4. An Analysis of the Work of Juniors in Banks. May, 1921. 
Bulletin No. 5. An Analysis of Clerical Positions for Juniors in Railway Trans¬ 
portation. August, 1921. 

Leaflet No. 3. Selected Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in Part- 
time Schools. September, 1921. 

Part-time News Notes No. 1. Three Months of Coordination in the Oakland 
Schools. November, 1920. 

Part-time News Notes No. 2. Progress in Part-time Education in Los Angeles. 
December, 1920. 

Part-time News Notes No. 3. The Work of the Director of Part-time Education. 
January, 1921. 

Part-time News Notes No. 4. The Application Blank for Enrollment in Part-time 
Schools: A Statistical Study. April, 1921. 

Part-time News Notes No. 5. Junior Employees in the Retail Drug Business. 


AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SERIES 

Bibliography of Agricultural Reference Books. March, 1920. 

Smith-Hughes Courses in English for Classes in Agriculture. 

Rural Social Survey Outline. August, 1920. 

Farm Mathematics Outline. August, 1920. 

Second Year—Farm Mathematics Outline. August, 1920. 

Bush Fruits Project Study Outline. March, 1920. 

Grape Project Study Outline. May, 1920. 

Poultry Project Study Outline. June, 1920. 

Swine Project Study * Outline. June, 1920. 

Suggestions for Farm Mechanics Work in Vocational Agriculture. November, 
1920. 

Suggestive List of Illustrative Material for Teachers of Vocational Agriculture. 
December, 1920. 

Dairy Project Study Outline with Suggestive Exercises. January, 1921. 
Suggestive Exercises in Fertilizer. March, 1921. 

Apricot Project Study Outline with Suggestive Exercises. March, 1921. 
Suggestive Exercises "in Poultry Husbandry. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Soils and Plant Life. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Irrigation. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Vegetable Growing. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Swine Production. May, 1921. 

Sheep Project Study Outline. June, 1921. 

Alfalfa Culture Project Outline. July, 1921. 

Baby Beef Project Outline and Exercises. August, 1921. 







PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES, No. 8 


BULLETIN No. 6 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

\ 

DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER 

FOR 

PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


PART-TIME AND 
SCHOOLS 


CONTINUATION 

ABROAD 


REPRINTS 



ISSUED BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

IN CO-OPERATION WITH 

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 


BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
NOVEMBER, I92I 






































































































































































PREFACE 


The three selections reprinted in this bulletin are articles which 
cannot readily be obtained in this country. They present the solution 
of the problem of part-time or continuation school education by three 
different agencies—the first by a factory, the second by a training 
college, and the third by the public schools. The last page contains a 
list of a number of other publications in regard to part-time and con¬ 
tinuation schools abroad, which show the extent of the movement in 
this field of education. 

Thanks is due to the authors and publishers named in the table of 
contents for permission to reprint the selections included in this 
bulletin. 

Emily G. Palmer, 

Special Agent for Training Part-time Teachers. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I. Port Sunlight Works Continuation School. An address given to the Joint 

Industrial Council of the Soap and Candle Trades at Birmingham, 
Tuesday, March 16, 1920. By Prof. J. Knox, M. A., Education and 
Welfare Department, Lever Bros., Port Sunlight, Cheshire. Printed 
by Lever Bros. Limited, at their Works, Port Sunlight. 5 

II. Two Experiments in Voluntary Continuation Schools. By Elsie T. Bazeley, 

Whitelands College, Chelsea. Originally published in the Journal of 
Experimental Pedagogy and Training College Record, March and 
June, 1921. 21 

III. German Continuation Schools. From the (London) Times Educational 

Supplement, Saturday, October 1 , 1921. 37 

IV. The Compulsory Day Trade Continuation Schools of Munich. By R. H. 

Best and C. K. Ogden. Part of an article in The Problem of the 
Continuation School and its Successiul Solution in Germany. A 
Consecutive Policy. Published by P. S. King and Son, London. 39 

V. Short List of Publications on Part-time and Continuation Schools Abroad 48 






I. PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


By Prof. J. Knox, M.A. 

(An address given to the Joint Industrial Council of the Soap and Candle 

Trades at Birmingham, March 16, 1920.) 

While we were still in the midst of the Great War in 1917, and 
while we were still under the spell of Turner’s “Eclipse or Empire” 
and of the conviction that something further must be done to improve 
and extend the national scheme of education, Mr. Fisher’s Bill passed 
through both Houses and became an Act of Parliament. We need not 
concern ourselves with the many details of the Act, but will confine 
our attention to its far-reaching and somewhat startling provisions 
for the continued education of young persons from 14 to 16 years of 
age. Nor need we concern ourselves with the education of those young 
people who may be attending full time Secondary Schools till they 
are 16, but only with the provisions which affect young workers, those 
who have taken up some form of employment in some branch of 
industry or commerce. 

The Act provides that such young employees, 14 to 16 years, must 
attend a Continuation School for at least 280 hours a year—though 
320 are desired and will ultimately become compulsory—in the em¬ 
ployer’s time; and after the present Act has been in force for 7 
years this provision is to be extended to include all junior employees 
until they are 18 years of age. This Act is not yet in operation, but 
the Minister for Education said in the House of Commons, in reply 
to a question last August, that he hoped to make the provisions com¬ 
pulsory in the autumn of 1921; and in Southport, early in January, 
he said: ‘ ‘ There is no intention on the part of the Government to 

abate one jot or tittle of that Act.” 

Now, however many and however serious may he the difficulties that 
employers will have to face in complying with Mr. Fisher’s Scheme of 
Continued Education, everyone must acknowledge the urgent necessity 
of more and better education for youthful employees in factories, mines, 
shops and offices who will afterwards be citizens of a democratic state, 
than the meagre and truncated quantity which they receive at present. 
Anyone who lias to do with the engaging of young people of 14 years 
of age must have been surprised and pained with their disconcerting 
inefficiency in both English and Arithmetic. They seem to have a 
good deal of loose and unrelated information about many things, hut 
many of them do not seem to be able to transact accurately and reliably 
the elementary duties attaching to the work of a junior in industry 


6 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


or commerce. Probably the mistake has been made of thinking that 
education is.pretty well completed at 14; whereas the vital part only 
begins then and unless it is followed up and continued after that age 
the millions of pounds provided for Elementary Education are being, 
to a great extent, wasted. 

During the summer of last year, the Education Committee of 
Messrs. Lever Brothers Limited decided to extend the facilities of 
the Staff Training College, which had been previously confined to the 
junior clerks in the General Offices and to apprentices in the skilled 
trades, to some of the unskilled workers (between 14 to 16 years of 
age) in the factory. About one thousand notices were distributed 
amongst the young employees, explaining the offer and inviting those 
who wished to avail themselves of the opportunity to make applica¬ 
tion through their various managers. About 40 per cent of the people 
eligible applied, and an examination was held on the lines of a psycho¬ 
logical test of intelligence, so as to choose from amongst the applicants 
those who could be accommodated at the time. One interesting result 
of the experiment which I wish to point out was that, generally speak¬ 
ing, the further the child was from the date of leaving the school the 
more illiterate he had become in reading, writing, arithmetic and all 
the subjects which might be summed up as school knowledge. Many 
of them had quite forgotten their multiplication table, so that they 
were unable to check a simple grocer ? s or draper’s bill; and if a para¬ 
graph in the newspaper were at all strange they had great difficulty in 
reading it intelligently and many seemed to be unable to write down 
in a few grammatical and consecutive sentences what it was all about. 
Now, to modify a well-known phrase, it is impossible to run an A1 
business if the employees can only be classed, educationally, as C3. 
I think it may be taken for granted that continued education in some 
form is a national and industrial necessity, and that we must cheer¬ 
fully put our industrial and commercial houses in order to meet all 
the provisions of the Fisher Act. And, in addition, I think it may 
safely be said that “if with all our vast apparatus of machinery and 
power, we cannot arrange society that each child has an opportunity 
in life, it would be better to break the machinery in pieces and return 
to the woods from which we came.” 

What, then, are the main provisions of the Act? Under that Act 
it will be necessary for all employers to liberate their junior employees 
from 14 to 16 years of age for at least 280 hours in the year, so that 
they may attend continuation schools which Local Education Authori¬ 
ties must either themselves provide or see that they are provided. It is 
suggested that these 280 hours may be divided into 7 hours per week 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 7 

for 40 weeks, i. e., one whole day or two half days for 40 weeks, or if 
the employment be seasonal, 8 whole weeks in the off or slack season. 
A little reflection on these provisions will show a good many problems 
for employers, and how necessary it is for them to look ahead so that 
they may be able not only to adopt the Act when it comes in force on 
the appointed date, but also to make the best arrangements possible 
so that both the employers and the students may receive the greatest 
benefits from the Act. 

An employer may choose one of at least four ways to meet the 
provisions required:— 

1. He may leave the whole affair in the hands of the Local Educa¬ 

tion Authority if and when compelled by law, and simply 
release the young persons affected for the required number 
of hours and think no more about it. 

2. He may leave the purely educational subjects in the hands of 

the L. E. A., and by arrangements with them provide what 
is called the “Vocational’ 7 Section of Continued Education. 

3. He may provide the School Buildings, the Gymnasium, Club 

Rooms, etc., and leave the Educational arrangements for cur¬ 
riculum, teaching staff, etc., in the hands of the L. E. A. 

4. He may provide a School of his own for his young employees— 

what is usually called a “Works School. 77 Such a school may 
be entirely financed by the Company, or it may be recog¬ 
nized by the Educational Authority and receive the Govern¬ 
ment Grants in the ordinary way. 

At Port Sunlight we have adopted the fourth alternative and I take 
it you wish me to tell you about our scheme and about the underlying 
principles which seem to us to justify our Staff Training College. The 
Education policy of the Company is in the hands of a Committee 
composed of Directors and Deputy Directors, of which Committee 
Mr. Gray is Chairman. The details of the teaching, subjects cur¬ 
riculum, etc., are largely in the hands of four College Boards, namely, 
the Office Board, Apprentice Board, the Factory Students’ Board, 
and the Adult Evening Classes Board. Half of the members of those 
Boards are Managers or Heads of Departments appointed by the Com¬ 
pany, the other half are popularly elected by ballot by the General 
Office Staff and by the Factory Employees respectively. Between the 
Committee of Directors and the College Boards there is another com¬ 
mittee which deals with the General Management of the College Classes 
and with the arrangements of the hours of study and the smooth work¬ 
ing generally of the scheme as between the business and the Staff 
Training College. By means of these committees we obtain the interest 


8 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


and support of not only the Directors of the Company but also of the 
Managers and General Staff of employees so that the Staff Training 
College is felt to be an integral part of the business. 

Written examinations are held twice a year, and a report of the 
results in every subject is sent to the various Managers of the depart¬ 
ments in which the students work, and also to their parents. The 
Managers are expected to see all the students in their departments 
and to speak with them on their examination results, and before they 
send their copies of the reports to the Secretary’s department to be 
filed away for reference they are expected to write their own report 
on the back of the college one as to the work of the student in the office 
or the factory. Twice a year, therefore, the work of every student is 
carefully considered, and as these reports accumulate they become a 
kind of “proficiency chart,” a definite indication as to what kind of 
employee the student actually is, so that advances and appointments 
can be made in the light of the facts of the case, and young employees 
feel that their future is almost entirely in their own hands and will 
be in accordance with the records they have made in the business and 
at the college. The college discovers talent which may never come to 
the surface along the lines of much of the employment transacted by 
juniors, and it becomes much easier to place young people in situations 
and departments where they are most likely to do their best work. 
As a further inducement to students to do well in their college classes 
the Company instituted a system of awards for distinctions in the term 
examinations, namely 6d. per week for each distinction gained, so that 
it becomes possible at the end of four years for students to be earning 
four or five shillings over and above their ordinary pay. 

OFFICE STUDENTS 

The Company was fortunate enough to have a convenient building 
cpiite close to the office which, as it had been originally built for a day 
school, was easily adapted to suit the college. When it was opened 
about three years ago, the classes were only for juniors in the General 
Offices and for apprentices to skilled trades from 14 to 18 years of 
age. It was found that there were about 300 junior clerks eligible, 
and in order that the offices might not be deprived of all their juniors 
at the same time the classes were arranged into two fairly equal divi¬ 
sions. One-half come on Monday morning from 8 :30 to 10 and also on 
Wednesday afternoon, 4:15 to 7, while the other half come on Tuesday 
morning and Thursday afternoon at the same hours, with no deduc¬ 
tions from wages. By this arrangement the students attend classes 
during hours that are about half in the firm’s time and about half in 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


9 


their own time. Tea is provided by the Company for all afternoon 
students from 3 :45 to 4:15, so that there is very little hardship on 
any student having to wait till seven o’clock one night a week as 
compared with the old system of continuation classes which young 
people had to attend in the evenings on two or three nights a week. 
It will readily be noticed that the amount of time given at present by 
our Company for the education of junior employees is considerably 
short of what will be expected of them when the Fisher Act comes in 
force, but it should be borne in mind that this scheme includes all 
young persons up to 18 years of age, whereas the Fisher Act in the 
meantime only affects those between 14 and 16, and that it was started 
nearly two years before the Act was passed, and the experience gained 
now will be of the greatest value when the time comes to extend the 
scheme. Indeed, so much is this the case that Education Authorities 
are constantly inquiring for the particulars of our scheme and for 
any hints we may be able to give them as a result of our experience. 

The original 300 students were also divided into two sections 
according to their ages. The first section consisted of those boys and 
girls 14 to 16 years of age and the second section of those 16 to 18 
years of age. As the boys and girls all worked together in the General 
Offices, our education classes have usually been what are known as 
co-educational, that is, as a rule the boys and girls sit in the same 
classes and do exactly the same work. It should be noted particularly, 
however, that there is a distinct line of cleavage between the kind of 
education usually given to the junior students from what is usually 
given to the seniors. While the seniors receive chiefly a vocational 
education the juniors receive a general education, for it is recognized 
by all educationalists and also by business people who take a wide view 
that, as a rule, if a person is going to go far in any department of life 
he must have a fairly wide foundation of general culture. Our cur¬ 
riculum, therefore, for junior students consists of English (literature 
and composition) and arithmetic, and in addition, for the boys, indus¬ 
trial history and physical training, and for the girls some instruction 
in shorthand and Morris dancing. The curriculum for the senior 
students consists of English literature, science, bookkeeping, short¬ 
hand, and commercial correspondence and, for the girls only, hygiene, 
needlework and Morris dancing. Two or three things have now become 
quite clear to us—have become almost axiomatic—during the last three 
years. I. A continuation scheme of education to be successful must 
be altogether on different lines from elementary education. A new 
conception of education is wanted, a larger, wider conception, some¬ 
thing quite different from the old disciplinary type in which classics 



10 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


and mathematics were so determinative and eliminated all who did not 
have a capacity for dealing with the abstract. ‘ ‘ This new conception 
is one which will offer equal opportunities to all for the development 
of such native capacity for leadership as they may possess, regardless 
of any fixed curriculum or social status.” II. The young persons, as 
they are called in the Act, must feel that they are not being sent back to 
school and that they are not to be subjected to anything like elementary 
school discipline. They are all wage-earners, and this fact usually 
gives them a freer standing in their homes, and this freer standing 
must also be given them in their educational classes. III. The morn¬ 
ing is easily the best time for education classes, for it is not only the 
best time for learning but it is also the time of the day when they can 
most readily be spared from business, for, as a rule, it takes some time 
in the morning before an office can get going, and usually the students 
who arrive in the office at ten o’clock feel the push of a good deal to 
do, and it is seldom that they cannot do as much between ten o'clock 
and five as they do on other days between 8:30 and five. At any 
rate it is cpiite remarkable that as much work seems to be done during 
the forty weeks in which they spend 2 1 /? hours of the firm’s time in the 
Staff Training College as during the twelve weeks when they have 
holidays from the college and spend their full time at business. While 
I recognize that in some classes of work the withdrawal of young em¬ 
ployees from production for seven or eight hours a week must diminish 
the total output, still it is the universal testimony of American and 
British employers who have instituted school classes in factory time 
that the amount is only a negligible and vanishing quantity, and the 
compensations in other directions easily make up for it and wipe it 
out. IV. We have not found what are known as lecture classes to be 
a great success; we always feel more certain that real work is being 
done when the students are not listening to a lecture nor listening to 
someone else reading, but are pursuing some line of work or research 
in which they are personally interested. A scheme of education must 
be found whereby less and less instruction will be given by the teacher 
and more and more will be left to the workaday interests of the 
students, to their own initiative and to the lines of study which they 
feel they ought to follow to achieve their personal ambitions. A hard 
and fast curriculum and a hard and fast time table will be the death 
of Continuation Schools. Many of these young persons have much 
dreary routine work during the week, and change and variety must 
be of the very essence of continued education, and they must feel at 
the same time that their education is not something which will tend to 
pin them down to one type of work or to any one business, but that 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


11 


it is opening a door of world-wide opportunity, and putting in their 
hands an instrument that will help them wherever and at whatever 
they may ultimately work. It has, therefore, been the policy of our 
Company to give all its educational facilities not only free of charge 
but also free of any obligation to remain with the Company after their 
schooling is finished; for it is felt that young people must not only he 
given the power to get on, which comes through education, hut that 
they must also be free to choose and live their own life. 

APPRENTICES 

In regard to the apprentices to skilled trades, of whom we have 
about 100, we started by giving them classes on Friday afternoons 
from 4 to 7 o’clock, but we soon altered that, and now instead of going 
to work on Saturday mornings they all come to the College for four 
hours entirely in the Company’s time, without deduction from wages, 
for special tuition classes. Nearly all our apprentices attend evening 
classes provided by the Education Authorities two or three nights a 
week. They have, therefore, a very hard week’s work and cannot have 
either the time or the facilities for much home study, and the idea of 
our Saturday morning classes is to give them tuition, to help them 
with their evening class work, and the teachers who take the classes 
are either University Graduates or highly skilled men in their own 
departments from our own staff. These apprentice classes are just 
about the best work we have done so far, for though the Managers 
find their work considerably dislocated on Saturday mornings, they all 
admit that their apprentices are now much easier to handle and are 
more intelligently interested in their trade than they were before the 
classes were instituted, and as many of these lads receive the highest 
distinctions in their Evening class examinations the purely educational 
benefit cannot he mistaken. The Apprentice Board advises the Prin¬ 
cipal of the College in the same way as the Office Board does for the 
Junior Clerks as to the fitting in of their daily work with their Edu¬ 
cation classes, while the Principal of the College sees that their Satur¬ 
day classes fit in with their evening school subjects. A committee of 
the apprentices themselves is in constant touch with the principal and 
the teachers, as to the conduct of the classes, athletic club, social even¬ 
ings, etc., and there is no doubt but what our apprentices now receive 
a splendid chance of becoming highly skilled and intelligent tradesmen, 
for they not only learn the craftsmanship of their job in the works 
but they also learn its science at the school, and through their com¬ 
mittees they receive training and experience in responsible government 
and citizenship and in working together for a common end. 


12 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


UNSKILLED WORKERS 

So far we have been dealing with the education of young people 
who will, by and by, be classed as skilled workers; but when we come 
to deal with the education of what are known as unskilled workers 
we have to face a much more difficult problem, because the day’s work 
of a junior clerk or of an apprentice to a skilled trade is what is known 
as intellectually 1 energizing,” while the day’s work of a young person 
at an unskilled jib is intellectually ‘‘enervating,” that is to say, the 
work of the one quickens and enlarges the intelligence, hut the work 
of the other, who is probably on some repetitive job, dulls and dim¬ 
inishes the intelligence, so that while the education of the former may 
be quite properly what is known as vocational, the education of the 
latter, who cannot possibly be said to have a vocation at all, cannot 
be along the lines of his work. To illustrate what I mean: it is quite 
easy to see how an apprentice chemist or engineer should receive teach¬ 
ing in chemistry, physics, mechanics, pure and applied mathematics, 
etc.; but it is impossible to see how a lad, whose work is to shape tin 
lids from a sheet by machinery all day long, can receive an education 
along the lines of his job. The unskilled worker must be provided 
with a scheme of education on different lines altogether. I have 
already indicated that we now provide educational classes for about 
250 of our unskilled junior employees, 200 of whom are girls, while 
the remaining 50 are boys. These are divided into four sections of 
about 60, each section coming to the College four hours a week, entirely 
in the Company’s time and without deduction from wages. The teach¬ 
ers of these classes are professional teachers employed by the Company, 
who give their whole time to the Staff Training College. The morning 
or the afternoon, as the case may be, is divided into five periods, one 
of which is for physical training and one of which, for the girls, is at 
present for music, and the remaining periods are for educational classes 
in English, arithmetic, etc. It is not necessary for me, neither would 
it interest you much, to go into the details of the ordinary educational 
subjects. The important and difficult point is the specific method by 
which we endeavour to overcome the enervating elements of their daily 
work. It is, of course, easier to overcome this with the girls than with 
the boys, since most of the girls may reasonably look forward to what 
after all is one of the highest vocations, namely, the vocation of the 
home. In the case of the girls, therefore, we include in the curriculum 
not only music, but also the various subjects included in domestic 
economy, housecraft, etc. 

Before speaking more particularly of the curriculum of the boys, 
let us first take a look at the youngster who comes into our factory, 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


13 


office or shop at 14 years of age, for he is to be the subject of our edu¬ 
cational experiment, he is to become our industrial workman and our 
intelligent citizen. He represents about 85 per cent of the youth of 
England, for it is only a small proportion who continue at Secondary 
Schools. The probability is that if he is above average ability he rebels 
against school, because he is of an active nature and desires to handle 
and make things, because, in short, he wants to be doing something; 
or if he has only average ability, or perhaps even less than average, 
he has probably been sent to work not only to add to the domestic 
resources, but also because his parents do not think that further school¬ 
ing is of any use and because the boy himself is ‘ ‘ fed up ’ ’ with trying 
to learn by reading, listening, and memorizing. Clearly, then, he must 
be regarded not as a receptacle for information but as an instrument 
that makes things, and the idea behind his continued education must 
not be the process of “filling a Gladstone bag for a journey, but rather 
the equipping of a workshop with tools. ” There is no inherent need 
for sorrow and grief for any such boy going to work at 14. On the 
contrary, it seems to me that no sight is more pathetic than that of an 
otherwise good lad drifting into habits of idleness, intellectual listless¬ 
ness and indifference by continuance at a school where the education 
is largely literary, bookish and unattractive to his disposition, whereas 
no sight is so full of hope as the sight of a boy who is straining after 
a full and energetic manhood because his outlook is one of activity, 
self-expression, and adventure. It is not early work that is necessarily 
discouraging, indeed it may become a help to a boy if it is wisely used 
in the scheme of his continued education, and therefore I lay it down 
as our starting point that practical education must be the fundamental 
condition so that theoretical education may have a chance of success. 
In dealing with the education of the unskilled boy worker I would not 
begin with books and pen and ink, but with tools, compasses and pencil; 
not with learning, but with doing and making something; that is to 
say, with a hobby and his hands, rather than with a book or a lecture. 

My idea for such youths is that a large departmental workroom 
should be fitted up for them where there will be workers in iron and 
wood and leather, and where a boy will learn how to weigh and measure 
quantities and fit one thing to another. A thorough practical knowl¬ 
edge of weights and measures and a steady power of accurate use of 
weighing and measuring instruments will always impart as thorough 
a mastery of arithmetic as will carry him handsomely through life; 
and moreover, as scientists have pointed out, the acquisition of this 
knowledge and mastery will have had a strong reflex influence on the 
youth’s character, giving mental and moral balance, care, patience, 


14 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


the feeling and nice desire for accurate statement of fact, power to 
weigh arguments and draw fair and just inferences. With this com¬ 
mon idea of just weight and accurate measurement in every depart¬ 
ment of the Hobby School constantly in view, I would equip it with the 
scrap which is thrown away in every Factory which handles raw mate¬ 
rials, and I would get the boys to turn it into things useful or orna¬ 
mental which could either be sold for funds for the further equipment 
of the school, or could be kept by the scholars themselves. Why, for 
example, should not boys, and girls too for that matter, be taught how 
to mend boots, how to work in wood and iron and how to tend a garden ? 
From 14 to 16, I would let the boys choose their own hobby on the 
Montessori system, and I would ‘ ‘ Let them alone 7 7 with it occasionally. 
Everybody wants at times to be “Let alone, 77 and no one more than 
the boy who has to follow a machine throughout his working day. 
“Handwork, to the great majority of children brings more than any¬ 
thing else that they are set to do, an opportunity of creative and con¬ 
structive effort which makes direct appeal to their interests and gives 
free scope for their individuality and also a means of self correction; 
for here an error or carelessness is speedily shown up, not by word of 
the teacher but by visible proof. We are said to be essentially a prac¬ 
tical people, and it is amazing that in our schemes of education we 
do not give a far larger place to the kind of work that is most in accord 
with this habit of mind and that gives exactly the training to which 
in other things we rightly attach the greatest value. 77 In the Hobby 
School too there should be a Library, Writing and Art departments, 
Magazines and Newspapers. It would be a great mistake to think that 
all boys are keen on science and handwork, for there are many to whom 
literature, art, philosophy and history appeal far more. The key to 
successful continued education lies in real interest and self-expression, 
and the salvation of democracy from dull, tame, lifeless mediocrity lies 
in the cultivation of vital personal power. Every means should be 
used: Dramatic and Debating Clubs, Musical Societies, Games, etc., 
are all excellent channels whereby young people may find themselves 
and enter a wider world than seems possible from the standpoint of 
a repetitive job. As long as distinctively vocational training or teach¬ 
ing through hobbies is not allowed to become too dominant, exclusive, 
absorbing, as long as the specializing tendency does not enter too soon 
or demand sole sway, as long as the trade and wealth of tomorrow do 
not rob today of its present joy nor the past of its rich and refining 
treasures, so long will it help and guide, strengthen and promote the 
best practical ends and highest purposes of education. 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


15 


We have not yet got our hobby scheme at Port Sunlight in operation 
but plans are maturing for fitting up small engineering, electrical and 
woodwork laboratories, and if the experiment is successful they can 
be extended as required. These laboratories are not intended to teach 
any boy a trade—that he must learn in the factory; but they will he a 
big asset in the unskilled boy’s education and a source of pure joy 
in his life, and it can easily be seen that they can he made of the highest 
utility for illustrating the scientific principles that underlie much of 
the rule-of-thumb shop work learnt by apprentices to skilled trades. 
What we want our youth to acquire is wide general intelligence, so 
that they will be quick to understand a new job or a new machine, 
expert in the scientific laws of mechanics, physics, etc., so that they will 
see the inherent connection of things and be alive to the possibilities of 
quick changes and new developments. We do not desire them to be 
dungeons of learning nor to have a lot of information “in cold 
storage,” but to be practical, alert, intelligent, receptive of new ideas, 
used to experimenting and working things out for themselves, and 
therefore their education and the discipline of their minds should go 
on through their hands almost unconsciously. In this case, at any rate, 
“Practice is better than Precept,” and it remains as true now as in 
the days of Aristotle that ‘ 4 The end of man is an action, not a thought. ’ ’ 
Before leaving this section of my subject may I say one word of 
encouragement to educationalists though none of them may be here? 
They seem to fear that young people, when once the Act is compulsory, 
will return to school only under compulsion, and that the greatest 
difficulty will be experienced both in securing their attendance and 
inducing them to learn anything at all. Our experience is quite the 
reverse; we have far more applications for places than we can accom¬ 
modate ; the students at Port Sunlight at the end of the first term 
were given the opportunity of dropping the college altogether or of 
returning for a second term, and only two out of 230 failed to turn 
up. The boys have asked for an evening class in their own time, and 
those who are now 16 and who must, according to rule, leave to make 
room for others, have asked the teacher to take them at nights. Per¬ 
sonally’ I have the greatest faith in the average factory worker, in his 
natural ability, his horse sense, and his decent heartedness, and it is 
more than time that he should be given a chance of receiving the educa¬ 
tion and culture which are his due, and which he can appreciate 
and profit by quite as much as those more fortunately situated. 
Let educationalists be sympathetic and adopt common sense methods 
and pluck up courage. 


16 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


Fear not ye saints, fresh courage take, 

The clouds ye so much dread 
Are big with mercy, and will break 
With blessings on your head. 

ADULT WORKERS 

We have found that as soon as a systematic scheme of education 
for junior employees is taken up, the ambitious workmen and foremen 
or forewomen begin to ask themselve where they are going to be when 
these young people are working for them and when probably they know 
much more than they do. And so gradually there comes up the desire 
for special classes for adult workers, but as this question does not 
arise immediately under the subject which we are considering today, I 
only mention it in passing to show the inevitable and far-reaching con¬ 
sequences of continuing with education until you reap the rewards in 
adult life, instead of stopping in childhood with the almost certain loss 
of any little good that may have been accomplished. 

PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING A WORKS SCHOOL 

I have no doubt I have carried your assent to most of the ideas 
expressed so far in this address, but you may be asking yourselves 
why we are putting ourselves to the trouble and expense of conducting 
and financing a school of our own immediately attached to the busi¬ 
ness. You may think that education in any form is not a proposition 
that a business can handle, and that it should be left entirely to educa¬ 
tion authorities. I wish it to be clearly understood that I am not 
advocating the universal adoption of Works schools, hut I am of 
opinion that under certain conditions they will not only fulfill the 
provisions of the Act, hut they will actually give a better education 
than any other type of school. There are several subsidiary advantages 
of a Works school both from the educationalist’s and the employer’s 
point of view, hut I pass them by and content myself today with the 
statement of one or two general principles. In the first place it is 
essential to remember that the average lad who starts work at 14 years 
of age has changed his life’s standing ground, he has left school and 
childhood and his mother’s apron strings behind, and his ambitions, 
interests and prospects center in his job and his workmates. He 
becomes a doer and a wage earner, and if there is anything in him 
he sees himself already a foreman or a manager. It is psychologically 
the natural way of giving him instruction to give it as part and parcel 
of his work, to create in his mind the necessary and vital connection 
between doing and knowing, between science and craftsmanship. As 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


17 


he and his mates combine in manual activity in the works so they should 
combine also in acquiring knowledge of the things that give dexterity, 
knowledge, alertness, and power over nature. In a Works school, work 
and education are felt to be the instruments and expression of one 
life, they inhere in one another. The question is sometimes asked why 
the 19th century with all its brilliant achievement in scientific dis¬ 
covery and increase of production ended in such disastrous failure. 
The secret probably is, as has been wisely pointed out, that the great 
forces which move mankind were out of touch with each other and 
furnished no mutual support. ‘‘Art had no vital relation with in¬ 
dustry ; political economy was at issue with humanity; science was at 
daggers drawn with religion; action did not correspond to thought. 
As a result, nation was divided against nation, labour against capital, 
sex against sex and church against church.’ 7 There was no cohesion, 
no concerted effort, no mutual support, no great vital advance. These 
facts in themselves are sufficient to account for the ineffectiveness, 
the ceaseless unrest, and the ultimate collapse of western civilization. 
Now the idea which underlies the Works School is an attempt to obviate 
some of this dislocation of life and the disturbing feeling that work 
is one thing and education something quite different. Nothing does 
more harm to the minds of children than the divorce between play and 
school, and nothing can be more subversive of all true education and 
social advancement than the perpetuation of the cleavage between cul¬ 
ture and work. The time has come for industry to take up once more 
its personal share in the education of its junior employees which dur¬ 
ing the enormous developments in machinery in the 19th century it 
has almost forgotten. Obviously we cannot go back to the old appren¬ 
ticeship system which dates back to the middle ages; mankind never 
goes back again, it can only move forward, but while it advances it 
ought to assimilate and make part of its life all the truth and beauty 
which have been spoken and expressed in the passing phases and 
struggles of civilization during its onward march. It seems to me, 
then, that the best in the old apprenticeship system can be reexpressed 
in a Works School. The care of youth, which is a far more important 
duty for industry than its exploitation, can be honoured and prac¬ 
tised with universal advantage in a scheme of education which, while 
nationally recognized as suitable and efficient by the Board of Educa¬ 
tion, is yet wrapped up in the everyday manifoldness of work and 
business. Such a scheme would soon make unnecessary much of what 
is known as Welfare work. What young people need far more than 
advice, or a burden of rules and regulations, or a hot house area in 
which they are protected and shielded, is inward power to regulate 


18 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


their own minds and conduct, and this is precisely what a Works 
School proposes to create. 

But apart altogether from this important principle of the unity of 
life, there are certain local conditions which would seem to make a 
Works School almost inevitable in order to carry out the provisions of 
the Fisher Act. Take our own case as an example. We draw our 
junior employees (and we have nearly 2000 of them) from an area 
whose radius must be at least 10 miles and from at least 5 or 6 different 
Education Authorities, and if these young persons had to be sent for 
7 or 8 hours a week to about 50 different Continuation Schools in the 
districts where they lived, it would be almost an impossibility for the 
Company to keep in effective and constant touch with their attend¬ 
ance, the work done, and the progress made at the school. And besides 
that, there would probably be a good deal of waste time as between work 
and school and school and work. It seems then that the best and most 
economical solution of the problem is some form of Works School 
which while associated with the business is effectively safeguarded 
from exploitation (if such an idea ever entered the head of an em¬ 
ployer) by the business. And I may say in passing, our works school 
has adopted effective safeguards by a system of Committees to which 
representatives of the workers themselves are popularly elected, and 
when the Act comes into force inspection by the Board of Education or 
by the Local Education Authority will be compulsory. Does it not 
seem to you as workers and business men that when this Act comes 
into operation, and when all your young people will be released for 
education for 7 or 8 hours a week, that you will desire to know with¬ 
out any equivocation how they are spending those 7 or 8 hours? My 
contention is that in conditions like ours it is only through a Works 
School that the employer can do so. And it is worthy of note that 
directors of education and professional administrators have admitted 
the wisdom of this contention. Moreover, one of the chief advantages 
of the proposed Continuation Schools is that they will give an oppor¬ 
tunity of’finding out where the real abilities and talents of young 
people lie. I have found that a rankling source of bitterness in many 
a workingman’s mind is that he is not at work that suits him, and 
that he has never had a chance of finding the job that fits his real 
talents. It will surely be something of the very highest value if the 
youth can be fitted to the job and the job to the youth, and it seems 
wellnigh impossible to accomplish this desirable end in any other 
way than through some form of Works School. 

Privately-owned schools have taken an honourable place in the 
history of education in England and they have helped to make that 


PORT SUNLIGHT WORKS CONTINUATION SCHOOL 


19 


history what it is; they have added their contribution to the making 
of English character and life. Privately-owned Works and Business 
House Schools may also fit in to the enlarged scheme of Education pro¬ 
vided by the Fisher Act. They will be conducted according to all the 
requirements of that Act, but they will be run on the large scale, scope, 
and outlook of the business itself. They will probably be able to do 
experimental and research education work and their methods, results, 
and spirit should add to the interest in education and to the variety 
of approach to what after all is one of the highest and most evident 
duties of an employer and one to whose possibilities and rewards there 
can be no finality. But the idea of a Works School should not only be 
looked at as a sound educational method and as the best way for the 
Factory, especially if it is in a somewhat isolated place, to fulfill the 
obligations placed on it by the new Education Act; it should also be 
carefully considered from the point of view of its reaction for good on 
the Works or Business House itself, for it is like a wheel within a 
wheel—reacting all the time on that which created and maintains it. 
I believe that a Works School or Staff College attached to an Industry 
or a Business, conducted on large, human, sympathetic lines, will not 
only give all boys and girls a share of the invaluable pleasures and 
opportunities enjoyed by those who at present have the privilege of a 
public school education, but it will give them also the wider outlook, 
the self possession, the tolerance that are associated with such Second¬ 
ary Schools and College life, and it will impart to them the knowledge, 
the insight and the spirit which, when they apply them in after days 
to industry, will raise factory life out of the selfishness and bitterness 
of its earlier unregenerate days and make it a means of expressing 
the joys of contented and happy labour and of gathering the fruits of 
industrial peace. 

Today I have directed your attention chiefly to the educational side 
of a Works School and have laid the emphasis on its practical aspects 
though I am well aware that education for livelihood is but a part of 
a much wider and more ideal education—education for life. Workers 
today who sometimes feel as though machinery had caught them up 
in its wheels, are urgent in their demands for more leisure. This 
demand is at any rate intelligible, for work to the great majority of 
people is not exactly poetry and dilettanteism, it is hard, grinding, 
dirty drudgery. Shorter hours and more leisure are bound to come 
and this leisure they should be trained to use, their eyes must be 
opened and their ears unstopped to enjoy life in all its rich and infinite 
fullness. But I have not regarded that kind of education as coming 
within the scope of my address and I admit I have only touched the 


20 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


fringe of a vast and engaging subject. Whatever may be thought of 
these wider aspects of education however, I feel sure, if I read the 
signs of the times aright, that new employees will soon receive scientific 
instruction about their job and its opportunities before they start in on 
it. And this training will be given by skilled workpeople who have 
first received instruction themselves in the science and art of teaching. 
Consider what an enormous saving in time, temper, and turnover this 
will mean and also increase in both personal efficiency and speed of 
production. Moreover, new employees will be taught the factory rules 
and regulations and safety appliances, and will be personally initiated 
on the threshold of their work into all the firm’s institutions, sickness 
and holiday benefits, facilities for insurance, etc. etc., so that they may 
know where they are from the very outset. All this will tend to 
generate and build up the right spirit and good will of a business 
amongst the employees; and it is only as knowledge is acquired and 
good will is created and as they go hand in hand that an industry or a 
business house can prosper, and function as a living asset in the 
democratic world of today. 


II. TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION 

SCHOOLS 


By E. T. Bazeley, Whitelands College, Chelsea. 

(From The Journal of Experimental Pedagogy and Training College Record, 

March 5, 1921.) 

I. 

The field of the first experiment was a manufacturing town, Q., 
where two prominent firms had invited the local authority to open a 
continuation school—the first in the city—for some of their young 
hands. The first firm. A, owned three large paper and colour printing 
works; the second, B, were sweetmakers. Each firm contributed thirty 
girls; the sixty girls from these four factories came in three classes of 
twenty, for two four-hour sessions a week. 

A difference in the attitude of the girls from the two firms was at 
once perceptible. Firm A, realizing that the idea of “going back to 
school” was likely to cause resentment among the girls and their 
parents, had been preparing carefully for several weeks. Foremen and 
forewomen had been consulted, and the idea of the school explained to 
them. A letter had been sent to the parents of each girl of an age to 
go to school, addressed to “Dear Mr. and Mrs. C” and informing 
them that a school for some thirty of the firm’s young girls would 
shortly be opened by the Local Education Authority and asking them 
whether, if their daughter was selected, they would be willing for her 
to attend school. The result of this letter, making attendance at the 
classes the result of selection, was that almost every parent wrote 
eagerly asking that their Jane or Polly might attend. 

Firm B, however, were unable to make any preparations of this 
kind; it was a time of great expansion of trade, and all the new girls 
taken on were merely told that they would be expected to attend school 
as a condition of employment; and the consequence was a good deal 
of suspicion and resentment among the girls, very little support from 
the parents, and some opposition from foremen and women. 

Firm A gave me the opportunity of going over their three factories 
and having a friendly chat with the future pupils. I did not realize at 
the time what a difference this would make. It meant that these girls 
knew a little to whom and to what they were coming. At Firm B 
I also made a tour of the works, but I had no opportunity of seeing 
the youngest girls scattered over a vast factory among gangs of older 
workers. Consequently these girls started for school full of apprehen- 


22 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


sion, on the defensive, and, at the worst, hostile—their recollection of 
their day-school being, as I soon found out, mostly of a time of restraint 
and boredom, if of nothing worse. 

The girls from Firm A, with one or two exceptions, came willingly 
to school from the first; but with the girls from Firm B, it was, as 
soon as they got on friendly terms with me, “Miss, have we got to 
come here till we are sixteen ? 7 7 After the first three or four months, 
however, it was, “Miss, all the girls in my room wishes they could 
come to school’ 7 ; or (from a new girl), “Miss, I thought it would be 
like day-school, but I loves this 77 ; and, “Miss, do you think they will 
let us stay till we are sixteen ?' ’ 

There were, however, some irreconcilables to the end. 

The school was composed of girls who differed extraordinarily 
from one another in every way and in their attitude towards the school. 
There was every degree of intelligence and illiteracy, from that of a 
child who had lately attended an M. D. Department, to the comparative 
eagerness of Zoe and Winnie from Standard VII. 

To illustrate the difference between the girls, I give brief sketches 
of three members of one class. 

Lily generally wore a clean white blouse and a short stained blue 
alpaca coat and skirt, with a green cap. She was tall, had a lovely 
complexion, short curly hair, blue eyes and a most attractive smile. 
She was tired-looking, she did not want to exert herself to do anything, 
she did not want to dance, though she/was unusually light and graceful 
upon her toes, she just wanted to loll and giggle with her friend Alice. 
Her home was in a respectable, airless, mean, yellow street, with 
small, dark houses, in a district known as the Marsh. Near by was the 
cattle market, and the sounds and sights of stampeding, terrified 
beasts, the shouts of men and boys, were separated from the Marsh 
only by the canal, which was made yellow by the refuse from the 
Chemical Works on the opposite bank. A dark passage led into Lily’s 
living room; the mother looked old and worn-out. She was dark, drab, 
dirty, ragged, nursing the baby, but she still had Lily’s heavenly smile. 
A boy and girl of school age, ragged and dirty but with the same 
smile, were sitting at a dirty, unattractive table for dinner, on which 
was a loaf, withered lettuce leaves, onions and vinegar. The eldest 
girl, looking very ill and said to be suffering from tonsilitis, was home 
from work. 

The mother, only just recovering from the baby, said, “Ah, Lily 
is a lily, isn’t she? And a good girl to work, when I was bad she 
scrubbed the whole house down. She did that too, Lily did, 77 pointing 
to a large sea-shell, used as a door prop, which had been blackleaded 
all over and polished till it shone. 



TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


23 


Every day Lily goes home here, sleeps, gets up and goes to work 
in the factory, a well-built one, but also down on the flats. When the 
works close at 5 :40 she is tired, gets herself home, over the bridge, 
through the Cattle Market and along the canal. She cleans herself, 
has her supper, and walks up and down beside the canal, occasionally 
she goes to the pictures. There are absolutely no resources in the 
home, nowhere to cut out or keep anything, no scissors, no books. 
Lily is sent to school and is expected to make a mental effort and pay 
attention as a member of a class to remote subjects far, far away from 
her world (what would not be ?) The marvellous thing is Lily’s fresh¬ 
ness, gentleness, good-nature, her listlessness is nothing to be wondered 
at—she is the shining hope of her home. 

Alice, Lily’s friend, was a thin, poorly-dressed, vivacious girl. 
Good-natured, idle, witty, sociable, she never worked and never minded 
being bidden to do so. At the party Alice wore a transparent chiffon 
hat and a white jumper with society airs, which she could assume in 
a rather delicious manner. It was Alice who, when we were off one 
day on an afternoon expedition, insisted on our missing our own tram, 
in order to take charge of a blind man and help him on to his car, 
which did not happen to be ours. 

Over the way from Lily, on the prosperous side of the street, lived 
Rose. Her father was a coal-heaver, and Rose was the freshest and 
trimmest of young girls. She was very well looked after by her mother, 
and was tidy, self-satisfied, and limited to a degree. She was always 
attentive, and occasionally interested in artistic things. She liked 
dressmaking best, and made herself a blouse at school, which pleased 
her mother very much. She left to go to work at another factory, where 
the conditions were notoriously rougher, because there was a rumour 
in the district that at 17 girls earned 30s. there. With firm A Rose 
had failed to get a rise owing to the very average quality of her work. 
Not seeing any connexion between value of work done and rise of wages, 
Rose and her mother quite believed that she would soon be earning 
at the highest rate. The whole policy and outlook of this family, with 
its tidiness, comparative comfort, and piano in the front room, was 
dominated by the schilling, just as that of many other families a little 
lower in the wage-earning ranks is dominated by the penny. 

Lily’s family was different. Here one felt there was a certain 
instinct for spiritual values, but their freedom from material trammels 
was not that of the margin due to extra wages, but of a sort of stark 
carelessness of circumstantials; they had long since thrown overboard 
anxieties and struggles over material comfort and financial security. 
Such is the lot of those who live under our weekly wage system. 


24 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


When I planned out the work for the Continuation School, before it 
opened, I did so under the delusion that I should find something to 
continue. I had previously taught Standards VI and VII, and I had 
always found I could get them actively interested—or, at any rate, to 
appear to be actively interested—in geography, science, literature, or 
whatever topic we had in hand. 

I thought I should be able to work on the same lines with my 
continuation-school girls. It was far otherwise. Two main tendencies 
I found among my girls; firstly, that they were extremely disinclined 
to make the least mental effort. As soon as they perceived that they 
were being expected to attend to a geography or history lesson, their 
minds (with two or three exceptions) spontaneously assumed an atti¬ 
tude of, at best, passive, and often active, hostility, their faces express¬ 
ing blank indifference or antagonism. Secondly, I found that of all the 
wide range of interests common to the healthy-minded young person, 
all but one seemed to be extinguished. They had no spontaneous 
interest left in things, affairs, or ideas; their one dominant interest 
was in people and in personal relationships. 

There is a famous picture of Hope, blindfold, with all the strings 
of her lyre hut one broken, sending one solitary and repeated note, her 
last, into interstellar space. 

That picture represents many of these young manual workers. 
Almost all the quick and living interest in the world outside them, 
which was probably as healthily alive in them at the age of three as in 
more fortunately-placed children, has been quenched long before they 
reach continuation-school age, by the folly of much of our educational 
method and the squalor of our overcrowded streets and homes. One 
single strand of interest is preserved, one string only can one be sure 
will vibrate, namely, this interest in personal relationships. Left to 
themselves, they tend to sentimentalize and sensationalize whatever 
personal relationships come their way either by actual experience or, at 
second-hand, through the cinema. This interest in people is the 
teacher’s one remaining road along which he can lead the class out into 
the freedom and healthiness of disinterested interests, his one remain¬ 
ing tool which he can depend on to effect his purpose. I have never 
failed to find them listen with rapt attention to a story. What is more, 
they instinctively, if unconsciously, measure their own sordid fantasies 
against a really beautiful and absorbing story, with the consequences 
that the whole level of their effort and aspiration is raised. 

I found, too, that if I presented a distasteful subject, such as 
geography, in the form of a story of personal travels, illustrated with 
sketches, they would listen with delight, and would even swallow maps 
if introduced casually enough. 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


25 


I need hardly add that they not only had no inclination, but not 
the least idea how to use books on their own account. 

How can one account for this extraordinary poverty of mental 
background and interests ? My study of the girls led me to account for 
it in some measure as follows: the primary day-school provides a quasi¬ 
literary education, but the homes of the majority of unskilled workers 
are not literary in any way. They contain no books, no ideas. There 
is no continuity between the life of the average home and the life of 
the school; one muM remember that the children of the working men 
who do think and do have books, mostly go on into central, trade, or 
secondary schools, and do not find their way at fourteen into factories. 
As soon as a child leaves the elementary school, she is reabsorbed into 
the illiterate life of the home, street, and factory. Welfare workers 
understand what I mean when I speak of the (to a teacher) amazing 
illiteracy and ignorance of girls who have perhaps only left school a 
few weeks previously. It takes but a few weeks to obliterate the 
literary manners taught in school. 

Why, one asked oneself in the second place, have they such an 
aversion from mental effort ? Why is it of all things the most intoler¬ 
able to them? One of the girls, in a class discussion on compulsory 
attendance at classes they did not like—a girl from Standard VII, a 
jolly, bright, friendly person—said, in one of those illuminating utter¬ 
ances one gets from children now and again, “Why we hates these 
things now, Miss, is because when we were at day-school we were 
forced to learn the things we did not understand." 

As a result of intimate study of my girls, I formed the opinion 
that for the first few months very little attempt should be made to teach 
them by means of even simple generalizations, such as one would use 
with children of the same age of the high-school type. Oral lessons 
were overdone with these children in their earlier years. They were 
prematurely taught in terms of generalizations and mental abstrac¬ 
tions at a time when these were meaningless to them, so that now, as 
young workers of fifteen, words conveyed extraordinarily little to 
them. In intellectual development they are still children much younger 
than their years, with a child’s appetite for particulars and picturesque 
detail. Geography must be reintroduced to them not by maps nor even 
by local geography, but by stories of how people and animals live in 
foreign countries. History must be represented to them not as the 
development of nations and of causes, but by means of the stories and 
aims of national heroes, such, for instance, as those of Garibaldi. 


26 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


I soon found that they could not learn much at this stage bv any 
form of verbal teaching, but very much by experience, by doing of 
every kind. It became clear to me that the first few months of the 
Continuation School for these young factory workers must be a period 
not so much of class instruction, but of re-education by doing. They 
had their first fruitful experience of concentrating their attention, not 
in the medium of words, but in that of rhythmic movement. Most of 
them found themselves not by an attention, which they are incapable of 
giving intelligently to the ordinary subjects of class instruction, but by 
every form of artistic and useful-handwork, by dancing, singing, and 
rhythmical work, by stories and dramatic work. Given this period of 
preparation, which will be longer or shorter according to circumstances, 
they will be ready for class instruction in most of the topics of human 
interest. 

There was another cause, or group of causes, which prolonged this 
period of preparation and operated against the children settling down 
quickly into that organic co-operative unit, a class. 

These causes, which 1 shall now consider under the head of disci¬ 
pline and of buildings, were closely interwoven in the case of this 
particular school. 

The popular educational ideal of many authorities in the school 
world is expressed by the formula that “discipline is the first thing.” 
In many day-schools discipline is the first, second, and last thing—the 
external discipline, that is, of a sometimes benevolent and always 
arbitrary authority. The background and foreground of an ordinary 
school is rigid discipline, maintained by authority, based on fear. Next 
to discipline, but a long way second, is instruction. So many people 
want their results at once. They want them the moment the child 
enters the infant school; they cannot even wait for the results to begin 
to appear in Standards YI and VII. Consequently, from the infant 
school to Standard VII we have a uniform, unprogressive, external 
discipline; the child is as unintelligently obedient to authority at seven 
as he is at fourteen. 

At fourteen these well-disciplined children are let loose into the 
works and streets, and in three weeks the only trace of this discipline 
left is in unreasoning, instinctive hostility to, and suspicion of, author¬ 
ity, a hostility which embraces everything which has ever been asso¬ 
ciated with authority. The children are let loose without any inner 
traditions of self-control, without any idea of group loyalty or service, 
with no idea of the principle of obedience, but only with a memory of 
the sterile practice of it; most of them (not all) are aggressively selfish 
and individualistic and many of the remainder are passively on the 
defensive. 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


27 


A situation of this kind demands that those in authority shall be 
people who are able to practise the principles of leadership rather than 
methods of coercion. 

I, of course, believe that discipline, true discipline, from within, is 
the aim and end of true education; it begins to he built up in the 
nursery, it progresses bit by bit with one experience after another as 
one stage of growth follows another, until at about the age of seventeen 
or eighteen you begin to have a social being, capable of self-direction, 
ready for every mental and physical exertion and capable of intelligent 
service to the community and enjoyment of the world in which he finds 
himself. 

How did our school-house reinforce this tendency on the girls’ part 
to a suspiciousness of authority ? 

We were housed in a solemn building which never belonged to us 
in any sense. Further, it reeked of school, its very aspect suggesting, 
restraint and boredom, whilst inside it had the drab look one associates 
with empty Sunday schools, populated only by vacant benches and with 
all interesting worldly objects eliminated. We were fenced in by pro¬ 
hibitions at every turn. In our classroom was a large glass cupboard 
full of fairly attractive-looking books, the lending library of the Sun¬ 
day School. We were not allowed to have these hooks out even to look 
at, neither could they be removed to another room. There was a large, 
well-proportioned, well-lighted hall, most excellently suited for singing, 
country dancing, and physical exercises; but we were forbidden to 
enter, and had to content ourselves with an ill-shaped room in the base¬ 
ment. We were quite naturally forbidden the use of the Sunday School 
piano, hut the girls had a gift for discovering harmoniums and addi¬ 
tional pianos lying idle in unsuspected meeting-rooms, whence they 
were driven by the vigilance of the caretaker, an ex-sergeant-major. 
We had no walls we coidd call our own upon which we dared hang a 
picture or put our own rude attempts at beauty. We had not an inch 
of outside space, no room for games, no room for friendliness with 
beast, plant, or cloud outside our classroom. 

We needed a playground with swings and apparatus for games, a 
strip of garden for plants and animals; we had a small library, hut 
needed a growing one, as well as extra space and more materials for 
handwork and domestic classes. 

The consequence was that though in many ways the girls found 
th'emselves in conditions quite unlike those of their day-schools, yet 
there was enough of authority, linked with prohibition, about the 
building, too many things they might not do and not enough variety 
of things they might do, to stimulate once more within them the old 


28 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


demon of boredom associated with instruction, and of a tendency to 
find their chief interest in doing the things the sergeant-major type of 
person stood for forbidding, rather than in the constructive activities 
to which their teachers invited them. 

As I look back I realize that it was no wonder the first few months 
of the school were such hard going. But at last the spirit of the school 
was born. 

I have referred before to the individualism of the girls. Though a 
friend might help a friend, there was very little spontaneous co-opera¬ 
tion for the good of all. The spirit was rather that of a watcher keep¬ 
ing a jealous eye on the other fellows to see that they were not treated 
better than he was himself. 

Towards the end of the first six months we decided to have a party 
to which the girls invited any or all of their friends. Owing to the fact 
that the girls were at work all the morning, the teachers prepared the 
feast, decorating the tea-tables and rooms with flowers. The caretaker 
suddenly and unexpectedly relented from the severity of his guardian¬ 
ship, adopted the school, opened the door of the large hall, produced 
the key of the piano from his pocket, and invited us to use this room 
instead of that in the basement. 

Later in the day he was found presiding over the tea-urn in a side- 
room, with a group of lamblike girls bearing cups of tea away to their 
guests. Rather a contrast for him after weeks of chasing “ ’ardened 
young girls” from those parts of the buildings which we all so con¬ 
scientiously tried to keep sacred to the Sunday School. 

This party was the first opportunity taken by the girls for spon¬ 
taneous social service. During the previous months, in spite of many 
chances, they had shown only the faintest inclination to do things for 
the good of themselves or of the class; but now they spent themselves 
in the sweetest and most unselfish way in taking care of each other’s 
mothers, sisters, and baby brothers. For almost the first time, in their 
singing and country dances they all worked together in perfect har¬ 
mony, and all seemed to be moved by the spirit of the best of them, of 
eagerness to do everything and by a joyous wish to enjoy and not to 
grumble, and to make everyone else enjoy the day. As one of them 
remarked with a happy sigh, ‘‘I think it’s going off very well, Miss, 
don’t you ? ” 

After this we were no longer a crowd of individuals, each seeing 
what he could get for himself, but we were a community with a spirit 
of fellowship born through a simple opportunity for social service. 
We were ready now for the co-operative effort of class instruction, as 
well as for many other things. 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


29 


II. 

The second experiment was due to the co-operation of a drapery 
and furnishing house, Messrs. E. F., with a training college. The firm 
agreed to send some twenty-seven young ladies, between fifteen and 
eighteen years of age, to classes at the college. I understood, though 
I never obtained details, that the announcement of this decision caused 
a deputation from the young ladies to the management, in which they 
expressed disapproval of the idea of going back to school. At a later 
date, when we knew each other well, I got them to write down what 
they had felt when they heard they were to go to school. I give some 
extracts:— 

‘ ‘ I am tired of school and would rather stay at business and learn 
all about that first. ’ ’ 

‘ ‘ At first I felt cross, as I thought we should learn typewriting and 
shorthand, which you know I hated at Central School.” 

“I do think it is a shame if they only knew how I dislike the idea 
I am sure they woulnt let me go but the firm says we have to. Good 
luck it isn’t very long three hours a week. I don’t now why I dislike 
school but I alway did right from a little girl and realy I was pleased 
when I was fourteen and could leave and now they have made it a law 
that we have got to go until we are eighteen. I was realy angry and 
said I didn’t know what would happen next.” 

‘ ‘ I am ever so glad that I shall be going to school again, especially 
to the College, which I have passed so often and often wanted to have 
a look inside. I was very sorry to leave school when I was 14. ’ ’ 

“At first I was so prejudiced against the classes that I did not 
trouble to take any interest in them. ’ ’ 

Out of sixteen of these girls, one came from a good secondary 
school, two from a central school, the rest from elementary schools. 
They were the ordinary young ladies in neat navy-blue frocks of the 
counting-house and sales departments. 

At the end of the first month we had got on so far that we had an 
informal debate, following on some lessons on home life at Athens and 
Sparta and the education of the boys and girls. The subject proposed 
for discussion was (1) “Whether you would rather have been an 
Athenian or Spartan girl?” and secondly, “Whether it would have 
been better to be an Athenian or a Spartan boy ? ’ ’ 

It was an extraordinarily interesting occasion from the teacher’s 
point of view. Under the guise of discussing educational problems of 
other boys and girls, the group faced some of the tendencies and 
thrashed out some of the difficulties of their own lives. They showed 


30 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


not only vigour, penetration, and sound judgment, but, what was more 
surprising, a concern on every hand for the happiness, not of the 
individual, as an end itself, so much as of the family. 

I give a few notes of some of the speakers, and of what they said: 

Miss Brooks (17) had gone straight into business from St. VII. 
She spoke in support of the Spartan girl’s education, with a thoughtful, 
absorbed face, as though she were really feeling the woman’s need for 
outside interests. “The more pleasures (interests) you had, the more 
you had to hope for in life and the less dull you were. When the girl 
did marry and settle down, the better she would be for her family. 

Miss Vickers (14-7), with a very responsive face, sensitive, intelli¬ 
gent, and with a sense of humour, thought that “Spartan girls must 
have been what we call tomboys.” She bravely maintained, against 
all opposition, “that women need not be brave, as the men have to do 
all the fighting and the women have to stop at home.” 

Miss Mortimer, a thorough young lady, fast becoming conventional, 
well-dressed hair and a pretty, expressionless face, resorting to the 
powder-puff in moments of stress, here burst in in favour of women 
being as brave as men—“Where would the Belgian women have been 
if they had not been brave enough to defend their country?” She 
thought that the Spartan woman would be happier because she would 
marry for love, and that was better than having your father choose for 
you. And, another thing, the Spartan girls, being brought up in the 
open air, looked well; but the Athenians, being indoors, grew pale and 
had to use rouge and powder. ’ ’ 

Miss Robinson (17), tall, anaemic, rather silent, with a natural gift 
for colour and a family which made rather many claims upon her, 
thought that girls should have a sensible, open-air education, and learn 
to do things with the boys, “because when you are married you can 
learn to do the household things, but you need not spend all your life 
beforehand learning them.” “And now,” she added, after the voting 
had taken place, “let’s vote which would have been the best family.” 

Miss Stanley (16), beautiful, intelligent, fairly well educated, spoke 
in favour of the training of the mind as well as of the body. She 
thought that “when women stayed indoors all the time it made them 
peevish and discontented, and perhaps the children would get the same 
and it would not be such a happy home as if the women did things 
outside the family.” She thought that “the Athenian woman was 
really more like a slave; but the Spartan woman was the same as her 
husband.” The Athenian boy’s education was far better than the 
Spartans. ‘ ‘ At Athens they learnt to read, to write, and to think, as 
well as to train the body. If you were not to learn to read, you would 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY" CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 31 

be more like an animal. At Athens yon learnt to love beautiful things; 
at Sparta you thought only of being a soldier. The Athenian man 
would be better in his family because he was better educated and 
would be more considerate. The Spartans might be very brave, but 
it was better to be able to think. '’ 

The voting was—one in favour of the Athenian girl's education, 
fifteen for the Spartan girl's and thirteen in favour of the Athenian 
boy’s, three in favour of the Spartan boy's. 

After the voting, Miss Stanley asked—“Weren’t there any of the 
Athenian men, who had had that lovely education, who did not think 
for themselves that it would be bad for women to be kept at home and 
have no education?" 

The teacher hereupon told them about Euripides and his plays, 
referring also to the struggles of women in the days of Florence 
Nightingale, whose statuette was on the mantelpiece. They listened 
intently, especially to what was told them about the tone of the 
tragedies in reference to the treatment of women and slaves. 

How did we get to the consideration of so “dry" a subject as 
different types of education ? 

From the topic of clothes. 

In order to make my final point I must trace the course of develop¬ 
ment in some detail. 

I. The first lesson was a music lesson, including singing and 
rhythmic movement. 

II. The second was occupied in looking at specimens of college 
students' handwork and art and in themselves making the first steps in 
colour study. 

III. To this, a music lesson, the teacher brought two of her pupils 
from outside who wore their tunics and danced barefooted with great 
freedom and grace. This appealed to the E. F.’s, and they seemed to 
enjoy the lesson. Afterwards, however, they came running up and 
said ‘ ‘ Could they change into the dramatic and country-dance classes ? ’ ’ 
to which another group of the girls was going. They thought they 
would do better at these subjects than at painting and Eurhythmies. 
Teacher: “Yes, you certainly shall; but it will take a few days to re¬ 
arrange you." A girl: “You see, we don’t think we can ever get good 
enough at Eurhythmies, in seven weeks, for our concert, and one is 
gone already." Teacher: “As I watched you, I thought you were 
really quite promising, and as soon as you have got over the first awk¬ 
wardness, which everyone feels, you will get on very quickly. ’ ’ A girl: 
“Let’s stay in the same class, after all!" To which they all agreed. 
Another: “We feel rather silly on the floor, in our business frocks." 


32 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


Teacher: “Well, I couldn't help thinking, if you only had tunics like 
the two visitors, you would feel ever so much better.” Girls: “Oh, do 
let us have tunics. Coloured tunics.” Teacher: “About the painting- 
class, the point of it is not to turn you into painters, but to help you to 
choose colours well and to put them together beautifully, e.g. to choose 
the right colours for tunics.’’ Girls: “Yes, and we could make them in 
the handwork lesson.” 

IA . The colour study of plenty of different flowers was continued— 
pansies, azaleas, and others from a country garden. They loved the 
flowers and settled down like a lot of happy butterflies to their paints, 
forgetting that they thought painting rather useless. 

The teacher also showed them classical pictures of Greek dancing 
and running girls, and talked a little about the life of Greek boys and 
girls as the dancers of ancient times. 

A . Music. The teacher played, among others, a piece which the 
girls recognized as a lament. 

AM. More painting and talk about choice of colour for schemes. 
The teacher showed them more pictures of Greek sculpture illustrating 
dress and customs among the Greeks. 

It will be seen that these lessons, took the form of more or less 
informal doings, talking, and showing, not very long of each. They 
were followed by:— 

VII. A solid lesson on life and education in Sparta. 

VIII. Music. About half the class ask to stay on an extra half-hour. 

IX. Athenian life and education. 

X. A comparison of life and ideas in the two cities. The class 
decides to have a discussion. 

XI. Music. They study “Asa’s Tod,” and are told a little about 
Grieg, as a composer of the North, by someone who comes in acci¬ 
dentally. 

XII. The debate. 

XIII. Return to painting. More patterns are looked at for the 
tunics. Class led to think about the difference between a patchwork of 
colour and a colour scheme. Picture post cards of old masters and 
others are studied from the point of view of “matching” the colours. 
Incidentally individuals make comments, and some decide they would 
like to go to the National Gallery. 

XIAC Music. Their teacher agrees to give them an extra evening 
every week. 

XAC Comparison of the different colour analyses of the pictures 
made by the class (some of these showed surprising power). 

XAM. The class is told the Norse story of Balder, to which they 
listen with speechless attention. 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


33 


Afterwards they finally settled the colour scheme of their tunics for 
some of their rhythmic studies. 

I think I have now given the patient reader enough material to 
make my point. 

My problem—the problem of every teacher in a continuation 
school—was (a) at first to free the girls from their prejudices against 
school, and (b) to lead their interest out into fields of permanent value. 

I knew by experience that if their energy was locked up by either 
open or slumbering antipathy to school, there would be very little for 
me to educate. Energy or interest which is fixed in hostility is not 
available for purposes of creative study. 

By a combination of happy accidents and fortunate plans, circum¬ 
stances played into my hands at the beginning in the matter of freeing 
them from prejudices about “going back to school.” 

(a) (accidental) Visiting the office at Messrs. E. F., when making 
arrangements about classes, and not knowing my way, one or two 
flappers were put in a position of the right sort of superiority by direct¬ 
ing me to the office. 

(b) (planned) In order to allay apprehension about going to an 
unknown institution, I arranged to see the young ladies at their house 
of business. On seeing me approach at the end of the corridor, there 
was an involuntary movement of flight—‘ ‘ the teacher! ’ ’ Having good 
manners, however, they remained to view me at close quarters, and 
found I was not dressed in a severe pedantic style. I told them that I 
could only give them three hours a week, instead of four which their 
directors had offered me, as one of my teachers had fallen through. 

(c) Owing to accidents in organization, the two classes did different 
work, thus at once giving a motive for looking forward to a “concert,” 
in which the}^ could entertain each other and their friends. 

(d) The accident that Messrs. E. F., could not send the girls as 
early in the term as we had originally hoped, gave the girls at the 
beginning and doubtful stage a shorter term to face—everyone can 
manage to endure seven weeks, whilst the thought of twelve or fourteen 
might be very wearisome. 

(e) In the same count it has turned out to be extraordinarily worth 
while to have begun with three hours a week only instead of eight. At 
the beginning, and before their interests had been awakened, eight 
hours would have hung very heavily and seemed a very long time. 
After a month we could not cram in all the things we wanted to do. 
The girls themselves began asking, “Why can’t we have the eight 
hours ? ’ ’ 

(f) The accident that the classes could not begin until the summer 
instead of in the winter term made various spacious rooms at college 


34 PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 

available which are too cold to use in winter. Consequently we could 
have all our classes at college and not on the business premises. I 
could from the outset talk to the girls of going to classes at college, 
instead of ever once referring to a continuation school. 

(g) The crowning accident—owing to a case of infectious illness in 
college, we had our first lesson in the garden. This added to the 
informality and to the enjoyment of the lesson. If they found it rather 
strange to focus their attention and adapt themselves to a painting 
lesson, at least they enjoyed sitting in the garden, with the sun shining 
on the grass and trees and on groups of students sitting about at work. 
Without knowing it, they found themselves part of something tangible, 
cheerful, young, and with a purpose of its own. 

By the fifth week we were ready to take up the whole eight hours 
and to make use of a library. By this time we wanted a reading-room, 
with all sorts of books contributing to all the different trails we had 
started, such as— 

Costume from classical times to the present day. 

Social life in Athens and Sparta and other books and illustrations 
necessary for visits to the British Museum. 

Greek myths and legends. 

Plays of Euripides. 

Geography of Greece, with illustrations. 

“The Outline of History,” by H. G. Wells. 

Books about pictures, e.g. illustrated monographs on Rembrandt, 
Raphael, and others, necessary in preparation for and discussion of 
visits to the National and other picture galleries. 

The Life of Florence Nightingale and other books and novels illus¬ 
trating the life of the last seventy years. 

Books of Norse myths and of poetry. 

Plays, novels, and histories for the dramatic class. 

Plenty of stories and of current literature such as illustrated 
monthlies and weeklies. 

The preparatory period, in which the young people shed their 
prejudices and learn confidence in themselves and in their grown-up 
friends, is now safely passed through. The teachers have had time in 
which to watch for and follow the slender thread of the young people’s 
interest, and by means of it to lead them to new and unexpected worlds 
of doing, thinking, and seeing. We do not need to settle down, but to 
go forward with our quest into the world of music, movement, colour, 
drama, literature, history, and thought. We do not need to settle down 
too much, it is true, into limited and formal channels, though this is 
necessary, too. One of the secrets of our present happiness, I believe, 


TWO EXPERIMENTS IN VOLUNTARY CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


35 


lies in this, that to begin with we took up some apparently trivial, 
spontaneous need—such as a desire for coloured tunics—and in follow¬ 
ing this up we have kept on discovering fresh vistas, have kept on 
touching on fresh continents of material or thought. The children have 
been conscious, not of limitations, but of possibilities. What we now 
need is certainly to consolidate our possession of the territories already 
sighted, but at the same time to keep our freedom and our sense of 
undiscovered treasure, and to go on taking up interesting topics, when¬ 
ever life happens to put them in our path; and it is in this way that I 
should like the approach to science and to the study of the Bible to 
come. I want science to start not in the laboratory, nor even at the 
microscope; but in some explanation, casually needed on some ramble, 
or a question asked during the painting or cooking lesson. 

Once the question has been asked, or a direction given by a girl, 
it rests with the teacher to carry the matter forward and to make the 
study as thorough in any particular direction as the girls are capable 
of making it. 

When I ask myself how is it that these flappers from a drapery 
establishment have developed more interests in six weeks than my little 
factory girls did in as many months, I see one reason standing out more 
prominently than others. The young E.F.’s have been put into an 
interesting, unconstrained environment. 

The common room is a beautiful room, with pictures, papers, books, 
and interesting objects—one girl espied the spinning-wheel on the 
second visit, and asked me about it; so also is the art-room. The 
garden is nothing but a town garden, it is true; yet it is a patch of 
grass and trees, and gives that indescribable sense of well-being that 
one gets from the presence of grass and trees. In unexpected corners 
are runs for various animals. It all presents a situation full of interests 
and possibilities. 

At Q. (described in Part I), on the other hand, the anticipation of 
boredom and apprehension of compulsion was not dispelled by the 
building. There was nothing interesting or beautiful there. It had the 
atmosphere of a Sunday afternoon with all the books and toys put 
away. 

It is a mistake to try to teach boys and girls in a vacuum. It is 
better to teach in a mud-hut, with the jungle at one’s door, then to try 
to teach in any of our schools with the world shut out. What we 
want is to open the doors and let life in; instead of that, we mostly 
eliminate to zero. 

At a delightful entertainment given by the girls at the end of term, 
we had evidence that our education had been brought to the final test 


36 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


as to whether it was real or merely superficial. The girls were certainly 
different beings in college; but did the school make any difference in 
their bearing in daily life, we asked ourselves ? One of the mothers 
came up and said she was so thankful her Dorothy was coming to the 
classes; she had been so dull, timid, and lifeless, she did not know how 
to rouse her; but since she had come to college she was full of life and 
interest and seemed a different girl. 

I am convinced myself of the importance of following clues which 
emerge apparently casually in one’s intercourse with the girls, in, or 
more often out of, set lesson periods. These clues seem to lead to what 
the children need. I have given details of the actual lessons at so much 
length because I want to show that we probably educated the girls and 
started them on the road of thought and of corporate effort, because we 
had first satisfied and elevated their different sense hungers. Their 
search for colour, which makes an instant and unlimited appeal to 
them, was not only gratified, but through it they found themselves led 
to study and to compose in colour. So also their delight in movement, 
rhythm, sound—all elemental cravings were sublimated in the eurhyth- 
mic and singing lesson. 

The temper of the continuation school will decide whether the girls’ 
demand for sensation in human affairs will be gratified by the 4d. 
novelette and the suicide down the street ; or whether the romance and 
dramas of the literature hour and the library will widen their svm- 
pathies, their knowledge, and their selecting power, touching their 
motive force to fine and discriminating issues. 

The schol stage will decide whether their comic muse will spend 
itself in the most delightful and resourceful fun, entirely of their own 
invention, or on the inanities of the comic press. 

I offer two more comments of the girls, to illustrate one last funda¬ 
mental need of adolescence—the first, on the education of Sparta: “I 
think it must have been a good education all together in the open air. 
They must have had so many friends.” And the second, on the 
school: “I have been congratulating myself on being under eighteen. 
The teachers treat us more as companions than pupils.” 

It seems to me that it is in this direction that continuation schools 
have a chance of meeting a need which has never yet been fully met. 
They may become the homes of many social, aesthetic, intellectual, and 
practical activities, and most of all they may become camping-grounds 
for fellowships of youth. 


III. GERMAN CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 

The next article, which describes one of the most interesting con¬ 
tinuation schools in Germany, is included because it illustrates how 
successfully the part-time schools were made to serve the purpose for 
which Germany established them. Little has been known of the con¬ 
dition of German schools since Mr. Best’s article was written in 1914. 
The following clipping taken from The Times Educational Supplement 
(London) of October 1, 1921, seems to indicate that the continuation 
school has been permanently established as a part of the educational 
program. The Times clipping is quoted in part: 

Speaking before the recent conference of welfare supervisors 
organized by the Industrial Welfare Society at Balliol College, 
Oxford, Dr. C. W. Kimmins said he had just returned from a visit 
to Strasbourg and Germany, where he had been investigating the 
present position of the day continuation school movement. 

Dr. Kimmins is quoted as saying: 

In Germany, where the schools are now so firmly established, the 
story of their development is particularly interesting. The insti¬ 
tution of the day continuation school was never compulsory in Ger¬ 
many; it was purely optional for each area, but the area having 
voluntarily introduced it, the scheme within certain limits was 
fixed. In other words, an excellent form of organization for com¬ 
pulsory attendance at the continuation school for six to eight hours 
a week was submitted, and the different areas were allowed to adopt 
or reject it at their discretion. For many years it was only worked 
in a few districts, but the fame of the new movement spread, and 
the great value of the day continuation school, both to employers 
and employed, became so widely recognized that it was adopted by 
an ever-increasing number of areas until it became practically 
universal. 

In 1913 I was inspecting the day continuation schools of Frank¬ 
furt, Berlin, and Charlottenburg, and in order to see how the schools 
had borne the strain of the war I again visited those in Frankfurt 
this August. Not only have they been continued throughout the 
war, but the time per week had actually been increased. It appears 
that the proportion of time devoted to technical as distinct from 
cultural subjects had somewhat increased since 1913, but the schools 
are as popular as ever. It was interesting to note that in Frank¬ 
furt they are now entering on the eighteenth year of the day con¬ 
tinuation scheme. The schools w T ere established in 1903. In the 
technical schools in Frankfurt an effort is being made to remedy 
weak points in applied science which were revealed in the war. It 
was found that the number of dentists and dental mechanicians 


38 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


was inadequate, and that this was a very weak point in the medical 
service. In this connexion I was shown a new development in prac¬ 
tical dentistry, including a remarkably well-equipped workshop and 
museum. With the very low rate of exchange, the mark being now 
worth less than a penny, I could not understand how such expensive 
equipment could be obtained by the school, but it was explained 
that it had cost the school nothing, as the whole of the equipment 
had been presented by the manufacturers of dental appliances. 
This was further evidence, if such were necessary, of the extraordi¬ 
nary belief of employers in further developments in education in 
Germany. 

The most conclusive evidence, however, of the great value of 
the day continuation school is afforded by the object-lesson of 
Strasbourg. As you know, Strasbourg has, as the result of the war, 
been transferred to the French after a very long period of German 
occupation. Day continuation schools in this centre had for some 
years been firmly established and incorporated in the school system. 
Naturally, as a result of the transference, very important changes 
were made in the organization of education. It might have been 
thought that the day continuation school, which was a foreign ele¬ 
ment, would have been swept away in the process of reorganization. 
The fate of this type of school was, however, never in doubt. It 
had so clearly proved its great value to employers and employed, 
and had become so popular, that no suggestion was even made for 
its removal from the school system. Further than this, it is stated 
to be more than probable that in the near future there will be a 
great development of this form of organization in other centres in 
France. 


IV. THE COMPULSORY DAY TRADE CONTINUATION 

SCHOOLS OF MUNICH 


By R. H. Best and C. K. Ogden 

(From “The Problem of the Continuation School and its Successful Solution in 
Germany/’ published by P. S. King and Son, London.) 

Every boy in Munich between the ages of fourteen and eighteen 
(or seventeen should his apprenticeship only last three years) must 
attend in the day time some school belonging to the continuation school 
system, unless he is already at one of the higher schools which prepare 
for the Universities and official and learned professions generally. Ac¬ 
cording to his trade, he attends the special trade school instituted for 
members of his trade alone. 

There are schools for every trade which can provide more than 
twenty pupils between the age limits mentioned above, smaller num¬ 
bers being grouped with a kindred trade. These schools are all entirely 
free. Each is managed by a committee representing the trade, the 
municipality, and the school. About half the cost is borne by the 
municipality; but in other parts of Germany the State usually contri¬ 
butes one-third. 

The boys attend for an average of about eight hours weekly, either 
during one whole day, or usually twice for half a day. With season 
trades the time is varied. The employers are obliged in every case 
to allow the time, and though this at first met with some opposition, 
everyone has long become converted by the excellent results, and the 
employers themselves are amongst the most enthusiastic supporters 
of the schools, many of them making valuable presents of machinery 
and materials. . . . 

In every case, special school workshops are intimately united with 
the classrooms for theoretical instructions, as the whole of the continued 
education of the boys is centered on the practical work there carried 
out in closest connection with their actual trade. 

A Typical Course 

The following time-table for brassworkers is a normal specimen: 

Age— 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 


Trade arithmetic, bookkeeping . 1111 

Business composition, essays and reading. Ill 

Citizenship, sensible living and hygiene. 1111 

Information about trades, goods and tools. 1 1 

Drawing . 3 3 2 3 

O o 

Practical w T ork . —- 4 a 

Total . Ill 









40 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


The first three subjects are invariably taught in all trades, though 
the actual treatment is adapted to each particular trade. There is 
also an hour devoted to religious instruction till the end of the six¬ 
teenth year, making a total of eight hours weekly. Classes are held: 

Tuesday morning .8 to 12 Afternoon, 2 to 7 

Wednesday morning ..7 to 12 Afternoon, 2 to 7 

Thursday and Friday morning.8 to 12 Afternoon, 2 to 7 

The four vertical columns of the time-table show the variation and 
apportionment during the four years of the youth’s compulsory attend¬ 
ance, from fourteen to eighteen. 

Calculating occupies one hour for four years; and Hygiene and 
Citizenship also occupy one hour for four years. 

But all these subjects are treated so that they grow naturally out 
of the trade taught in the class, and in such a way that the scholar 
hardly notices when the teaching about trade leaves off, and when 
education comes in. The other subjects vary according to their 
respective trades. 

Information about trades, goods and tools occupies one hour for 
two years. 

In this school, Drawing—and this is mostly trade drawing— 
occupies three hours the first year, three the second, two the third, 
and three hours the fourth year. 

For the first two years no practical work is done, because the 
scholars have already been well grounded therein in the last year of 
the council school, and are now, as apprentices, seriously at work with 
practical work in their workshops. 

During the last two years they get two hours and three hours 
respectively of practical work—this practical work being a higher 
grade of work than they are likely to get in their shop. 

The hours when they may attend class should also be noted. There 
is nothing earlier than 7 a.m., nor later than 7 p.m. 

The Subjects Taught 

In the fifty-six trade schools, there are about one hundred and fifty 
teachers entirely attached to the schools, and about three hundred 
who give lessons there in addition to other work. The teachers are 
recruited from all kinds of professions and vocations. Academic and 
normal school-teachers cooperate with master-workmen, journeymen, 
artisans, and agriculturists, and they exert an excellent influence upon 
each other. The artisan, the master, and the journeyman learn to 
respect the schoolmaster, and the schoolmaster learns to respect the 





CONTINUATION SCHOOLS OF MUNICH 


41 


workman who is engaged with him on the same educational problem. 
Practical instruction in workshop, laboratory, shop and garden, is the 
•central point of every apprentice’s trade school.* 

Teaching in drawing and arithmetic is most intimately connected 
with practical instruction. Nothing is drawn that has not been made 
in a workshop; and every process in work or construction is followed 
out by figures. By making out both preliminary estimates and bills, 
the pupil learns the value not only of material and work, but also of 
the time he has spent on his work. It is particularly useful for the 
apprentice to recognise by these bills how much time he has spent on 
his work—and this, of course, is very great with apprentices, and 
increases the cost of production. Special care is taken in making out 
bills and estimates to let the pupil learn to calculate not only the cost 
of materials and time, but also all other items of cost, arising from the 
deterioration of machines and tools, the interest on capital, carriage, 
and various other sources of expense. 

Practical instruction is also intimately connected with the study of 
materials, tools, and machines. The pupil makes acquaintance with 
these almost exclusively through his own practical work. He is 
specially familiarised with the mechanical laws under which machines 
and tools work. 

Moreover, whenever the work in hand demands a knowledge of 
physics and chemistry, to show the pupil the reasons for what he does, 
or to teach him how to make new experiments with success, he receives 
instruction, in special laboratories, in the conception and laws required 
for well-considered work. 

The technical education of the apprentice is never planned with a 
view to letting him make masterpieces. On the contrary, the endeavor 
is made to let him find pleasure in simple, careful, thorough, con¬ 
scientious work, in genuine materials, and to encourage him to new 
attempts through the feeling of confidence in his own power. 

Good authors are read in class, and a selection of good books from 
the school library, for reading at home, is placed at the pupils’ disposal. 

Civic instruction is generally planned as follows in the different 
trade schools. First, the historical development of the trade to which 
the pupil belongs is discussed. He is shown, in the struggles of his 
fellow workers, the continually growing interdependence of interests 
among all citizens of a community. Concrete examples of devotion 
to a common cause are placed before him. Thus, by degrees, he recog- 

* l( Three Lectures on Vocational Training,” by Dr. Georg Kerschensteiner 
(published by the Commercial Club of Chicago). 



42 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


nises liow the problems arose, which occupy town and nation to-day, 
and learns the duties and rights of the individual within the State. 

This insight is strengthened into the will to consider others, and 
to devote himself to common purposes, by associating pupils in work¬ 
ing groups, especially in the last school year. 

Hygienic training is given not only by special instruction in hy¬ 
giene, but also by gymnastics and games on Sunday afternoons and 
during the school holidays; and we may take this opportunity of 
pointing out that the schools thus become a recognised field for the 
activities of all those who wish to help in the task of ennobling the 
life of the young in.the great cities. 


Fine Mechanics, Tool-makers and Gunsmiths 

The effect of the training in school workshops lias been very bene¬ 
ficial to the productive capacity of the hands engaged in the trades. 
For instance, in the class for mechanics . . . about five years ago 
accurate gauges and instruments as drawing models for municipal 
schools were wanted; six tool manufacturers were invited to make 
some, but they declared that they could not undertake the work be¬ 
cause it would be too expensive; they said their workmen were not 
sufficiently educated to do the work at anything like a commercial 
price. Three years later, however, after the boys had been educated 
in these classes, two of these tool manufacturers came, and said they 
would like to make the gauges, because they now had suitable workmen 
to make them at a moderate price. 

We saw youths making scale balances for laboratory work (those 
square chemical balances enclosed in a glass case for delicate weighing). 
They made them throughout in the school (cases, balances, and 
weights). We saw them at work adjusting the weights which they 
had made to the delicacy of 5 milligrams; boys from fourteen to 
eighteen years of age made one hundred of these scale balances for 
their elementary schools to use in their laboratories. Purchased in a 
shop, they would cost £3 10s. each, while made in the school the cost 
was only 17s. each. 

This reminds us of a Birmingham buyer of such balances who had 
placed a large order in Germany, and who declared that he regretted it 
was impossible to place the order in this country at anything like a 
reasonable competitive figure. . . . 


CONTINUATION SCHOOLS OF MUNICH 


43 


Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, and Waiters 

It is unnecessary here to describe in detail the various schools com¬ 
prised in the system. . . . What one notices particularly is the clean¬ 
liness and order which are everywhere enforced. In the case of the 
bakers’ school, for instance, or the confectioners’, the value of being 
accustomed from the beginning to healthy conditions and hygienic 
methods is of the greatest value, not only to the boys themselves and 
to those who will afterwards learn from them but to the community as 
a whole. 

Or take the case of the butchers, where more than in any other 
trade cleanliness and humanity must be wished for. Not only are even 
the slaughterhouses models of hygienic condition, but every effort is 
made to use the school as a lever for enlarging the horizon of those 
engaged in this, to the average man, somewhat gruesome occupation. 
During the year excursions were made to the Workmen’s Museum, 
the Exhibition of Foods, a leather manufactory, a crematorium for 
carcases. The director of this school has, moreover, prepared a mar¬ 
vellous series of diagrams, describing historically and geographically 
the various methods of cutting up animals used for food in different 
parts of the world. The English visitor is surprised to learn how 
very much tastes differ in various countries. He finds that the parts 
of meat described as ‘first quality,” “second quality,” etc., are by 
no means the same in Germany, France, and England; a fact which 
the boy realises at once from the diagrams mentioned. 

Cooks are thus given to understand that the complete cook must be 
acquainted with the tastes and methods of more than one country, 
and this is the case all over Germany. Thus in Berlin a young cook’s 
apprentice of sixteen was particularly pleased to be singled out to 
conduct the English visitor from one class to another, for he was going 
to England and France as soon as he had passed his leaving examin¬ 
ations. “A good cook,” he said, “must know something of one other 
country, and if possible of two. I have several friends now working 
in Paris and London for a year before settling down. ’ ’ 

. . . There are 160,000 foreign waiters in London, mostly gaining 
experience, and many of them first attend English classes in their 
continuation school for this purpose. Here we may record an instance 
of the way in which these schools can be used as a medium for the best 
kind of social help. At Frankfort last year, an admirer of the work 
of the continuation schools put funds at the disposal of the teacher 
of the English classes, in order that the pupils might visit London, 
and many of this class may find that such an opportunity will be 
invaluable for their future career. 


44 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


Chimney Sweeps and Stokers 

Then again, the school for chimney sweeps, stokers, etc., is full of 
interest. Here is a class which might be copied with advantage not 
only to the sweeps, but to the community at large. It would be money 
well spent, for as Dr. Kerschensteiner points out to those in 
authority:— 

“It must be remembered that modern States have placed power in the hands 
of the people, so that the laziest and most uncouth day labourer has an equal 
voice with the cultured statesman and the philosopher in the government of his 
country, and it must surely be worth while to educate them in matters which 
require a sound civic judgment. ’ ’ 

It is thus not a question of philanthropy, but of sound investment. 
The clear aim is to catch them all, those at the bottom of the labour 
ladder as well as those at the top, so that all shall be trained by the 
community into good members of the community. 

[The laboratory was equipped with] . . . sections of the stoves, 
sections of buildings and flues, chimney cowls, the fan to pass air cur¬ 
rents and eddies, sweeping brushes, and a collection in the cases. All 
go to teach us the real way of education. This kind of education adds 
to the amenities of life, including the amenities of ventilating and 
warming apparatus, flues and chimneys, smoky and otherwise. It is 
usual to regard chimney-sweeping as a low trade, for which there is 
no need to provide education. As a matter of fact, the sweep serves 
the community as well as the jeweller, the brass-worker or the mechanic, 
and has an equal right to education. The less demand a trade makes 
upon the mental activity and intelligence of the worker, the greater 
the need that the community shall supply that deficiency. If any 
kind of work, however lowly, is a necessity in the service of the com¬ 
munity, upon the community lies the obligation of supplying suitable 
educational measures. 


Shoemakers 

Similarly in the school for shoemakers, the idea is to make the boys 
proud of their calling and useful in it, not to try and educate them 
out of their calling into one which is supposed to be higher. We see 
this idea holds good in all trade classes. For the purpose of such edu¬ 
cation, their teaching in literature and history is, as far as possible, 
based upon the lives and writings of the celebrated men who have 
adorned the shoemakers’ trade. On the wall hangs a small portrait, 
. . . . which from the costume and headgear we may safely guess to 
be that of Hans Sachs, the cobbler poet, the greatest German poet of 


CONTINUATION SCHOOLS OF MUNICH 


45 


the sixteenth century, a cultured man, a cobbler, of whom it is recorded, 
“He worked steadily at his business, and devoted his spare time to 
literature.” It is by means of such teaching that the Munich shoe¬ 
maker boys are educated to work for their guild, to take interest in 
higher things. . . . Dr. Kerschensteiner writes particularly about the 
good effects these classes are having on the workmanship of the under 
hands in the town. 

Printers 

There is no occupation, certainly no skilled occupation, in the 
modern state which is not united by a thousand links to all other 
similar activities, to art and to science; and it is part of the business 
of the school to lay bare the complicated network of common interests, 
and to give each pupil at least so much general social knowledge that 
he clearly understands the value of the work which he is performing 
for the community. The difficulty of “general knowledge” has 
hitherto been that of finding subjects which were not selected hap¬ 
hazard, and not merely in the air as far as the majority of pupils are 
concerned. Munich by making a beginning with the centre of interest 
provided by the trade itself, has opened up unlimited possibilities for 
further extension. Both on this general social knowledge, and also on 
hygiene, great stress is laid in Munich,* and special value is also at¬ 
tached to a knowledge of the history and development of a trade. The 
historical method has been found particularly fruitful in the case of the 
more artistic trades, the work of the smith and builder, the textile and 
machine industries. A good instance of a trade where the historical 
method is of particular service in awakening general interest and 
intelligence is that of printing. To those who realise how little the 
average compositor knows or even cares about the great profession of 
which his work is a part, the Munich school for printers, ... is a 
revelation. 

The more we can introduce interesting and useful knowledge into 
the life of the worker, the better; at the same time, we must not forget 
that for the great majority of workers, at any rate for the present, 
the most valuable and necessary training is workshop instruction, a 
knowledge of good honest work under good conditions, and a good 
teacher. These are the all-important factors for his after-life. 

In these schools for printers and lithographers we saw beautiful, 
delicate, and accurate work, in colour printing done in eight colours; 
and a process of marbling and patterning, done with a mixture of 
paste and colour, which we were told was a forgotten art from the 


* See Kerschensteiner, ‘ 1 The Schools and the Nation, ’ ’ Chapter YTI. 



46 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


eighteenth century, but resuscitated in the school, and now generally 
used in the trade. 

In the last two school years foreign languages for one hour weekly 
form part of the curriculum for type setters, whilst lithographers take 
drawing for three hours a week, practical work two hours a week, and 
the chemistry of the trade is also taught. 

Gardeners 

A calling which at present in so far as education is concerned is 
greatly neglected is that of the gardener. . . . One is at once struck 
by the great possibilities for agricultural schools which the Munich 
scheme implies. But this is not an agricultural school—this is a school 
for the gardeners employed in the suburbs of a large city. We are too 
apt to think that our gardeners require education only when we find 
our trees have been pruned indiscriminately with a pair of shears! 

Hairdressers 

Another instance of a-successful and much-needed school is . . . the 
school for hairdressers. This is a municipal school where the pupils 
practise on the public. 

When one recollects the conditions under which an ordinary hair¬ 
dresser’s boy of fourteen years of age picks up his knowledge to-day 
it must be obvious what a great work the school has to do in supple¬ 
menting his education. Here we see the lads being taught wig-making, 
drawing, all about their wares, first-aid surgery as part of the 
curriculum. 

Munich as a Model 

We have only been able to give illustrations of a few out of the fifty- 
six trades which have schools provided for their workers, by the Munich 
municipality. It must always be borne in mind that the schools we 
have described are municipal schools; they are not controlled by indi¬ 
vidual manufacturers; and useful as the pioneer work of individual 
firms, or groups of employers, may be, in showing the way, no school 
system supported by public funds can be allowed to be monopolised by 
any one unit in a competitive industrial community. The qualifica¬ 
tion for municipal and State support should be that a trade is willing 
to support the school by sending pupils of fourteen to fifteen years of 
age during the day time, or quite early in the evening, and is willing 
to co-operate in its management. The continuation schools of Munich 
are the result of co-operation between municipality, State, and trade. 

One of the chief reasons which encourages us to state with confi¬ 
dence that the system of Munich can be profitably taken as a model 


CONTINUATION SCHOOLS OF MUNICH 


47 


for England generally, in spite of the fact that Munich is not an indus¬ 
trial centre in the ordinary sense of the word, is that these principles 
have been successfully applied to so great a variety of trades and occu¬ 
pations. Critics are apt to forget that not every town in England is 
an industrial centre. But the same principles can he applied to the 
welfare of every trade or calling. Their distinguishing feature is the 
equipment of workshops in the school building. But where the cost 
of workshops is at first too great, this difficulty is met, as at Dusseldorf, 
by starting in those trades where the equipment of workshops is less 
costly; or by embodying more trade drawing with such practical work 
as requires less costly tools; and so gradually lead up to the complete 
outfit. . . . 


What the System Really Aims At 

The foregoing examples of trade classes or schools cannot fail to 
command our admiration for the completeness and thoroughness with 
which ‘ ‘ Our Problem ’ ’ is cared for in order to equip him in the vocation 
he is following. 

He has now completed his eighteenth year. His compulsory educa¬ 
tion is at an end, and, if he elects to go further in it, he is well pre¬ 
pared to take advantage of the instruction provided in the voluntary 
classes connected with his school, in which a higher education for 
workmen is given. We have been struck with the excellence of the 
technical side of the organization, but let us not be carried away with 
any false idea that the ultimate aim, and much the most difficult part 
of Dr. Kerschensteiner’s ideal., is being lost sight of, viz., manhood 
training, character training, the most important, the most valuable 
part of a nation’s assets. 

The real aim of the Munich system is:— 

(1) That the youth shall be willing and fit to perform some work 
in life useful in the service of the community. 

(2) It must help the youth on towards his calling or vocation, and 
it must help him to do his work as well as is possible. 

(3) It must accustom him to the idea that his calling has a three¬ 
fold meaning— 

(a) That it enables him to maintain himself with self-respect. 

(b) That his well-being will be due to the advantage of his living 

in a well-ordered community. 

(c) That any service for which payment is accepted, however 

humble it may be, is to be regarded as a service to the 
community, and to be conscientiously performed. 


48 


PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 


The most important ideal, presupposing as it does the requisite moral 
and intellectual fitness of the pupil, is that side by side with, and in 
fact arising out of, his work, and through his own self-cultivation, he 
shall feel that his own personality is helping forward the ideal of an 
ennobled society. 

In other words, the requirements of education are:— 

(1) Training in a trade, and the preparatory training for his trade. 

(2) The ennoblement of his trade training. 

(3) The advancement of the whole community in which his trade 
or calling is to be exercised. 

But the ennoblement of a community is impossible without first 
ennobling the individuals of the community; therefore the moral and 
ethical training of the individual must necessarily precede. It follows 
that our aim must be a training which shall give scope for the cultiva¬ 
tion and practical exercise of the virtues of consideration for others, 
devotion, and constancy, and for the formation of an unselfish char¬ 
acter. But nothing requires more thorough and fundamental work 
than just this kind of Character Training, for we are now up against 
the difficult barrier of the scholar’s own egoism. The other more 
material teaching is comparatively easy. 


V. SHORT LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ON PART-TIME AND 
CONTINUATION SCHOOLS ABROAD 

Oooley, E. G. Vocational Education in Europe. The Commercial Club of Chicago, 
1912. (Continuation Schools in Germany, volume 1, pages 78-129; in Austria, 
pages 300-305.) 

Findlay, J. J. The Young Wage-Earner. Sidgwick and Jackson, London, 1918. 

Kerchensteiner, Dr. Georg. The Schools and the Nation. Macmillan and Co., 
London, 1914. 

Pearson, Peter H. Schools of Scandinavia, Finland and Holland. U. S. Bureau 
of Education, Bulletin, 1919, No. 29. (Continuation Schools: in Norway, pages 
10 and 11; in Sweden, pages 36-38; in Denmark, page 43.) 

Sadler, M. E. Continuation Schools in England and Elsewhere. Manchester Uni¬ 
versity Press, 1907. 

Sandiford, Peter. Comparative Education: Studies of the Educational Systems 
of Six Modern Nations. Edited by Peter Sandiford. E. P. Dutton & Co., 
New York, 1918. (Continuation Schools: in Germany, pages 165-172; in 
England, pages 248-254; in France, pages 336-341.) 

Wray, W. J. and Ferguson, R. W. A Bay Continuation School at Work. 
Longmans, Green & Co., 1920. (Essays by twelve contributors on the basis of 
personal experience in the Bournville School.) 

Yeaxlee, Basil A. Working Out he Fisher Act: The Human Aspect of the Con¬ 
tinuation Schools. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, London, 1921. 



PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES, No. 9 


LEAFLET No. 4 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER 

FOR 

PART-TIME SCHOOLS 


RECREATIONAL READING 

FOR 

PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION 

SCHOOLS 


By GLADYS S. CASE and EDITH IONE MORRISON 

n 


ISSUED BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

IN CO-OPERATION WITH 

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 


BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
MARCH, 1922 



FOREWORD 

Many schools are trying to equip small libraries with books which 
will be of interest to boys and girls in their part-time classes. After 
experience in selecting books for such boys and girls and after con¬ 
sulting with their teachers, the following brief list of books for 
recreational reading was made by Mrs. Gladys S. Case, Principal of 
the Juvenile Department of the Los Angeles Public Library, and by 
Miss Edith lone Morrison, Children’s Librarian, School and Teachers’ 
Department of the same library. 

Any teacher who knows and enjoys these books will be able to assist 
in introducing them to his pupils. The result should be more than 
mere recreation. “The reader and lover of the book is a safe and 
valuable citizen. 


r 


RECREATIONAL READING 


FOR 

PART-TIME AND CONTINUATION SCHOOLS 


‘‘books are friends, come let us read.” 


Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle. (Harper) 

Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous amateur detective in 
literature, and with “my friend, Dr. ’Watson,” he unravels many 
a criminal plot by means of an acute observation and characteristic 
“deductions. ” 

For an atmosphere of weird gloom succeeded by horror, read “The 
Fall of the House of Usher” in Poe’s Tales. 

Amazing Interlude. Mary Roberts Rinehart. (Doran) 

An American girl, to do her bit, goes to Belgium and sets up a 
House of Aid just behind the lines. There she meets Henri, a brave 
young Belgian spy. 

Another story by this author, which is called ‘the funniest book of 
the war,” is Twenty-three and a Half Hours’ Leave. 

Arabian Nights. (Jacobs) 

These famous stories are like so many pearls strung upon a chain, 
each pearl a story, and, the chain itself the reason for which the 
stories are told. They make us see the gorgeous world of the East, 
the courts of caliphs and kings, the cities of China and India, 
Arabia and Persia. We are left with memories to color our dream 
of Oriental splendor as no reading of later years can possible do. 

Boys’ Life of Mark Twain. A. B. Paine. (Harper) 

Tom Sawyer himself is in the pages of this book, for Mark Twain 
wrote that story out of his own boyhood. Later experiences as 
printer, apprentice, pilot, miner, and author are equally fascinating 
as told us by his friend. 

To find out what the job of a genius really is, read the Boys’ Life 
of Edison, by his co-worker, Mr. Meadowcroft. 

Boys’ Life of Theodore Roosevelt. Hermann IIagedorn. (Harper) 
The message of Roosevelt’s life to the youth of America, is “not 
the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, 
the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; . . . that highest form 
of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, 
but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, 
or from splendid ultimate triumph.” 

You are the Hope of the World, by the same author, is a challenge 
to the youth of America. The Honorable Peter Stirling, by P. L. 
Ford, is the story of a young lawyer who fought for clean politics. 




4 


Christopher Hibbault, Roadmaker. Marguerite Bryant. (Duffield) 
As a little boy he “followed the road” with his mother, an experi¬ 
ence so vivid that in after years neither luxury nor ambition could 
stifle the desire of his heart, to make the way easier for the many 
feet that pass over the long, long roads. The story brings out the 
great happiness that is the reward of those who follow the high road 
of duty. It is also the story of a perfect love between man and 
woman. 

The Crisis. Winston Churchill. (Macmillan) 

“This book is written of a time when feeling ran high;”—of our 
own Civil War, including in its characters Lincoln, Grant, and 
Sherman, and lovers who are divided in their allegiance. 

Another angle of this dramatic period is shown in the story of The 
Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, by John Fox. Jr., in which 
the hero is bred among settlers and hunters of the Kentucky moun¬ 
tains. 

Daddy Long-Legs. Jean Webster. (Century) 

All that the orphanage girl saw of her benefactor was the ridiculous 
long-legged shadow he cast as he went out the door. So while she 
was being educated through his generosity, Judy wrote interesting 
and funny letters to her unknown ‘ Daddy Long-Legs. ” 

Brasilia with a Million, by Elizabeth Cooper, is another story of 
adoption: this time a poor old lady who inherits a million invests 
it in babies. 

First Hundred Thousand. Ian Hay (Beith). (Grosset) 

“What for is the wee felly gaun’ tae show us puctures?” This 
remark greeted the placing of landscape targets before a squad of 
raw recruits in Kitchener’s army. So raw were they that many 
laughable incidents broke the monotony of their hard training. 

The Four Million. O. Henry. (Doubleday) 

Within the covers of this book throbs the heart of New York Citv, 
and you feel it quicken with joy or contract with sorrow. The 
author is a born story-teller, and these are generally considered his 
best stories'. 

From Job to Job Around the World. A. C. B. Fletcher. (Dodd) 
The happy-go-lucky adventures of a young graduate of the Univer¬ 
sity of California, who started out to see the world, equipped with 
a ticket to Honolulu and five dollars. He worked his way around 
the globe in three years, traveling steerage most of the way, and 
meeting his many adventures with ‘the calm assurance and*readi¬ 
ness of American boys to make themselves at home in strange places 
and under remarkable conditions.” 

Very much the same kind of book is H. A. Franck’s Vagabond 
Journey Around the World. 

Hall with Doors. Louise S. Hasbrouck. (Woman’s press) 

At the end of their high school year, a group of girls in a small town 
organized themselves into a “Vocation-Vacation Club” and pro¬ 
ceeded to investigate various possible careers. How each girl found 
her vocational niche makes a story which may furnish ideas to 
other girls. 



Hidden Treasures. J. T. Simpson. (Lippincott) 

One of the most interesting books on farming. A boy of eighteen 
works as chore boy for his uncle on an old-fashioned farm. In¬ 
fluenced by what lie has learned at Agricultural College, he per¬ 
suades his uncle little by little to try out new machinery and modern 
methods. The banker’s generosity and interest may be a trifle 
overdone, but the book is just brimful of possibilities, and will 
fascinate anyone who has ever given farming a thought. 

High Benton. William Heyliger. (Appleton) 

“A good story for boys. If they have troubles, they will find 
Benton in the same fix. ’ ’ Over one thousand boys who had planned 
to leave school have written to the author saying they had changed 
their minds since reading this book. 

High Benton, Worker, finds Steve through school and “on the 
job.” Another book, Joseph Gollomb’s That Year at Lincoln 
High is the story of two boys, one rich, one poor, each a snob and 
despising the other. Miss Hunt says, “I should not like to have 
any American boy miss what this book has to contribute to his life. ” 

If I Were King. J. IJ. McCarthy. (Grosset) 

Story of the transformation of Francois Villon, broker of ballads, 
somewhile bibber and brawler, into the Count of Montcorbier, 
grand constable of France, whose life is forfeit to the king’s whim. 
One of the most fascinating tales ever written of wit, bravery, love, 
adventure. 

A book depicting the romance of the court of Spain is F. M. Craw¬ 
ford’s In the Palace of the King. 

In the Sargasso Sea. T. A. Janvier. (Harper) 

A weird sea tale of a man aboard a derelict caught in that thick 
tangle of weed called the Sargasso Sea—a region into which none 
but dead ships came. 

Jeanne d’Arc. E. M. Wilmot-Bijxton. (Stokes) 

What heroine of a novel could rival the picture of Our Maid at the 
beginning of her mission, as “straight-backed, healthy, long of 
limb, she sat her great horse, tossing back her short dark hair from 
her brow, and gazing with bright grey eyes into the dark ways as 
though already she saw the end of her journey, ere it had well 
begun. ” 

Kazan. J. O. Curwood. (Grosset) 

“He was called Kazan, the Wild Dog, because he was a giant among 
his kind, and as fearless even as the men who drove him through 
the perils of a frozen world.” It is the tale of a “quarter-strain 
wolf and three-quarter husky, ’ ’ torn between the call of the human 
and his wild mate. That God gives souls to the wild things, the 
author makes very plain in this story. 

Another good dog story is Jack London’s Call of the Wild; still 
another is Alfred Ollivant’s Bob, Son of Battle, which tells of a 
famous sheep dog and a contest for the Trophy. 


6 


Kim. Rudyard Kipling. (Doubleday) 

Steeped in the mystery of the East is this tale of Kim, white born, 
native bred, and wise in the ways of the bazaar where came men 
of all castes, Hindu, Brahmin, or pariah. The story of a boy’s 
apprenticeship in the Secret Service of India. 

Lance of Kanana. H. W. French. (Lothrop) 

Kanana, a Bedouin boy, is branded even by his father as a coward 
because he will not slay ''except it be for Allah and Arabia.” How 
he proves faithful to his country, faithful to his principles of not 
taking life, and faithful to his promise that he will slay an Arabian 
is a wonderful story of heroic achievement. 

Little Minister. J. M. Barrie. (Dodge) 

A love story romantic enough to suit most girls, although the Scotch 
dialect and background may make it hard to read. 

Lost in the Jungle. P. B. Du Chaillu. (Harper) 

\\ onderful hunting trips and adventures in equatorial Africa. 

A book of adventure and exploration in South America is W. J. 
LaVarre’s Up the Mazaruni for Diamonds. 

Luck of Roaring Camp. Bret IIarte. (Houghton) 

These stories have caught and perpetuated the rough, wild chivalry 
and freedom of the Old West,” which respected no law but its 
own, and from which have emerged great and heroic types. 

The scene of the King of the Broncos, by C. F. Lummis, is laid in 
the Southwest; and Gold, by S. E. White, tells of California in the 
early days. 

Making of an American. Jacob Riis. (Macmillan) 

I his young Dane came to America to make his way. He never 
forgot the dreadful poverty and wretchedness of his early days. 
This is his own account of how he won out for himself and others. 
A pretty love story runs through it all. 

Edward Bok is another boy who came to America from across the 
sea. How he found it the land of infinite opportunity, he tells in 

the Americanization of Edward Bok. 

Mrs .Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. Mrs. Alice IJegan Rice (Cen¬ 
tury) 

Humor of a true American flavor may be found in this sprightly 
story of the ups and downs of life in the cross-tracks Cabbage 
Patch, with its flapping clothes-lines, browsing goats, and patched 
window-panes—and Mrs. Wiggs. 

Mother. Mrs Kathleen Norris. (Grosset) 

It is given to few, who as the years go on feel increasing love for 
a mother or father long dead, to express that love in a tribute so 
perfect as 'Mother.’ ”—Ida Tarbell. 

"Mother” is a picture of wholesome family life today Another 
book, My Mother and I, by Elizabeth G. Stern, is an exquisite 
story of the love between an Americanized immigrant girl and her 
old-fashioned mother. 


7 


The Mutineers. C. B. Hawes. (Atlantic monthly press) 

A hundred thousand dollars in gold, a mutinous crew, pikes, cut¬ 
lasses, and guns ! A more-fascinating treasure story of danger and 
adventure in pirate-infested seas could not be found. 

Nobody’s Boy. Id. H. Malot. (Guppies) 

Pronounced by old and young of France and America as one of 
the most engrossing and humanly interesting stories to be found 
within the covers of a book. Remi. the foundling French boy, earns 
his living as a wandering minstrel. 

Perfect Tribute. AT. R. S. Andrews. (Scribner) 

The silence which greeted his Gettysburg speech cut deep into the 
heart of the great man who believed he had failed his people. How 
at last the realization of the truth came to Lincoln, is a story of 
rare beauty. A recent play, “Abraham Lincoln” by Drinkwater, 
shows “Lincoln’s wonderful insight, his quick mind, his unflinching 
honesty, his humanity, his power to stand alone.” 

Prince and the Pauper. Samuel Clemens. (Harper) 

A prince and a beggar-boy changed places, and what befell each in 
his new estate worked to the good of all England. In after years 
the prince, then king, when questioned concerning an act of mercy, 
would reply, “What dost thou know of suffering and oppression? 
I and my people know, but not thou!” 

A tale of an older England, full of tourney and jousting, where 
“might made right,” is Scott’s Ivanhoe. 

Ramona. Helen Hunt Jackson. (Little) 

Story of a noble and romantic love, with an early California back- 
ground which shows the terrible injustice and intolerance of our 
own people toward the Indians and the Spaniards. 

Rilla of Ingleside. Lucy M. Montgomery. (Stokes) 

Life in Glen St. Mary, Canada, during the first year of the war, 
centered around Rilla—youngest daughter of Anne. How she won 
and lost her war baby, managed the “Junior Red’s” and sent her 
brothers, playmates, and sweetheart away with a smile, is told in a 
picture so vivid and so true to life, it leaves an unforgettable 
impression of having lived every incident yourself. 

Madonna-like in her patience and womanliness is the heroine of 
Maria Chapdelaine, by Louis IIemon, a beautiful love story of 
French Canada. 

Roast Beef, Medium. Edna Ferber. (Stokes) 

Being the business adventures of Emma McChesney, flavored with 
her own particular brand of humor. 

For shrewd common sense in business dealing, read G. II. Lorimer’s 

Letters of a Self-made Merchant to His Son, which also is brimful 
of humor. 


8 


Singing Heart. F. J. Ward. (McCann) 

This is the love story of the plain, “stay-at-home” member of a 
talented family. The McAllister clan is breezy and clever, but slow 
to discern the charm of their younger sister. Their reverence for 
the memory of their mother is beautiful to see. 

Son of the Middle Border. Hamlin Garland. (Macmillan) 

Said Howells, “Garland makes us live the farm life of the middle 
border as he lived it, and not only its squalor and ugliness and 
misery but also the wild glory and beauty of it, which we feel as 
he felt it. ” 

Eleanor Gates’ Biography of a Prairie Girl paints a vivid picture 
of the struggle of those early days as lived by “Little Girl” and 
her big brothers, born and bred on a lonely Montana homestead. 

In the Letters of a Vtfoman Homesteader, by Elinore Stewart, is 
revealed the courage of a woman who was not afraid of “coyotes 
and work and loneliness,” and who also knew how to laugh. 

T. Tembarom. Frances IT. Burnett. (Century) 

When T. Hembarom became the possessor of a hall bedroom in a 
third-rate New York boarding house it seemed like luxury to him, 
after his nights spent in empty trunks and behind lumber piles. 
He learns one day that he is Temple Barholm, heir to an old English 
estate, with an income of £70,000 a year; and goes to England to 
take possession. 

Tale of Two Cities. Charles Dickens. 

No one who has read this story of the Reign of Terror in France 
will ever forget the picture of the woman sitting day after day, 
knitting, watching, counting, as one after another the heads of the 
nobles fall under the guillotine. Neither will one forget the por¬ 
trayal of the noble-hearted castaway, Sidney Carton, lover and hero. 

A Tenderfoot with Peary. George Borup. (Stokes) 

“You may recall that sweep of savage splendor, 

That land that measures each man at his worth, 

And feel in memory half fierce, half tender, 

The brotherhood of men that know the north.”— Service. 

Two other tales of the North are Alaska Days with John Muir 
(by S. IT. Young), and Stickeen (by John Muir). The latter is 
the story of the dog who shared with Muir one of his most terrible 
experiences in mountain climbing. 

Three Musketeers. Alexandre Dumas. (Dodd) 

Famous for all time are the bravery and wit of the four insepar¬ 
ables, Athos, Porthos, Aramais, and the clever Gascon D’Artagnan; 
and their thrilling adventures in the service of the Queen. 

Monsieur Beaucaire, by Booth Tarkington, is a sparkling bit of 
comedy, which centers around a gallant young Frenchman, of whom 
little is known, and Lady Mary Carlisle, the beauty of Bath, the 
victim of her own pride. 


\ 9 

Tillie, a Mennonite Maid. Helen R. Martin. (Grosset) 

Tillie’s father was a frugal, honest, prosperous Pennsylvania Dutch 
farmer, who believed that work was the whole duty of life. Tillie 
rebelled against the intolerance and narrowness of ignorance, and 
with true Dutch stubbornness and courage persisted in her fight 
for “schooling.” 

To Have and to Hold. Mary Johnston. (Grosset) 

A beautiful maid-of-honor, ward of the King, avoids marrying the 
King’s favorite by fleeing to Virginia with a cargo of brides sent 
out by the Company in exchange for tobacco. 

Track’s End. Hayden Carrutit. (Harper) 

How Judson Pitcher, an untried youth of eighteen, spent a winter 
in a deserted frontier town with only a dog and a cat for com¬ 
panions. and defended it singlehanded against outlaws, wolves, and 
bands of thieving Indians. 

Another adventure story tells of a search for lost Spanish treasure 
among the cliff-dwellers. This is J. A. Altsiieler’s Apache Gold. 

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. Jttles Verne. (Grosset) 
A voyage with Captain Nemo in his marvellous underseas boat, fifty 
years before the submarine became a fact. 

On the first page of Mysterious Island, Captain Nemo and his party 
in an army observation balloon are sinking rapidly into the sea, out 
of sight of land. 

Up from Slavery. B. T. Washington. (Houghton) 

That success is measured not by achievement but by how much has 
been overcome, is brought out in this record of the struggle of a 
colored boy to rise above the stigma of slavery. He made for him¬ 
self a place with the great spirits of the world, as a leader and 
server of his people. 

The Virginian. Owen AVister. (Grosset) 

This best of Western stories has a school-ma’am heroine and a cow¬ 
boy hero. A tale of modern chivalry. 

Another picture of virile outdoor manhood is Ralph Connor’s 
The Man from Glengarry, the setting for which is a northern 
lumber camp. 

Wild Animals I Have Known. E. T. Seton. (Scribner) 

Dramatic histories of Lobo, King of the AVolves; Raggylug, the 
cotton-tail rabbit; Vixen, brave mother-fox; and others of their kin. 
More than one boy has worn to pieces a copy of this book. 

Winning of Barbara Worth. H. B. AVright. (Burt) 

As the sterile desert floor of the Imperial Valley responded to 
nurture and life-giving water, and became beautiful, doing its part 
of the world’s work—so the heart of the foundling girl grew and 
blossomed out into rich womanhood blessed by a noble love. 


10 


OTHER LISTS OF BOOKS 


1. Boys’ Books. Public Library of Newark, New Jersey. 1920. 

2. Books for Boys and Girls: a Selected List. Hewins. American 

Library Association Publishing Board. 1915. 


3. 


List 


of Books for Girls in Their 1 1 eens and List of Books for a Boy’s 
Reading. Children’s Department, Carnegie Library of Pitts¬ 
burgh. 


4. Boohs foi High Schools. W ilson. American Library Association 
Publishing Board, 78 East Washington St., Chicago Ill 1914 
50 cents. 


5. 


100 Books 
Boys. 


That will Interest Girls and 100 Books That will Interest 
Milwaukee Public Library. 


6. Reading List—Junior High School and Reading List—Senior High 

School. Iowa Library Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 1921. 

7. Selected List of Books for Boys and Girls of High School Age. 

Carnegie Library School, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh Pa 
June, 1919. ’ 


11 


LIST OP PUBLICATIONS 
OF THE 

DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES 

Bulletin No. 1. Syllabus of an Introductory Course on Part-time Education. 
January, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Lesson Plans and Reports for use in connection with the Introductory Course 
on Part-time Education. (Out of print.) 

Leaflet No. 1. A First Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in Part- 
time Schools. August, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Leaflet No. 2. The Work of Coordination in Part-time Education. November, 
1920. (Out of print.) 

Bulletin No. 2. An Analysis of Department Store Occupations for Juniors. 
December, 1920. 

Bulletin No. 3. Coordination in Part-time Education. March, 1921. (A revi¬ 
sion of Leaflet No. 2.) 

Bulletin No. 4. An Analysis of the Work of Juniors in Banks. May, 1921. 

Bulletin No. 5. An Analysis of Clerical Positions for Juniors in Railway 
Transportation. August, 1921. 

Leaflet No. 3. Selected Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in 
Part-time Schools. September, 1921. 

Bulletin No. 6. Part-time and Continuation Schools Abroad—Reprints. No¬ 
vember, 1921. 

Bulletin No. 7. The Work of Juniors in the Telegraph Service. March, 1922. 

Leaflet No. 4. Recreational Reading for Part-time and Continuation Schools. 
March, 1922. 


Part-time News Notes No. 1. Three Months of Coordination in the Oakland 
Schools. November,- 1920. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 2. Progress in Part-time Education in Los Angeles. 
December, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 3. The Work of the Director of Part-time Education. 
January, 1921. 

Part-time News Notes No. 4. The Application Blank for Enrollment in Part- 
time Schools: A Statistical Study. April, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 5. Junior Employees in the Retail Drug Business. 
May, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 6. Outline Course in Citizenship Training for Part- 
time Schools. September, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 7. Items from Part-time Schools in California. 
March, 1922. 



12 


AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION SERIES 

Bibliography of Agricultural Reference Books. March, 1920. 

Smith-Hughes Courses in English for Classes in Agriculture. 

Rural Social Survey Outline. August, 1920. 

Farm Mathematics Outline. August, 1920. 

Second Year—Farm Mathematics Outline. August, 1920. 

Bush Fruits Project Study Outline. March, 1920. 

Grape Project Study Outline. May, 1920. 

Poultry Project Study Outline. June, 1920. 

Swine Project Study Outline. June, 1920. 

Suggestions for Farm Mechanics Work in Vocational Agriculture. November, 
1920. 

Suggestive List of Illustrative Material for Teachers of Vocational Agriculture. 
December, 1920. 

Dairy Project Study Outline with Suggestive Exercises. January, 1921. 
Suggestive Exercises in Fertilizer. March, 1921. 

Apricot Project Study Outline with Suggestive Exercises. March, 1921. 
Suggestive Exercises in Poultry Husbandry. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Soils and Plant Life. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Irrigation. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Vegetable Growing. April, 1921. 

Suggestive Exercises in Swine Production. May, 1921. 

Sheep Project Study Outline. June, 1921. 

Baby Beef Production Project Outline. June, 1921. 

Alfalfa Culture Project Outline. June, 1921. 

Field Bean Culture Project Outline. October, 1921. 

Revised Bibliography. January, 1922. 

Agriculture News Letter (Monthly). 


PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES, No. 10 


BULLETIN No. 7 


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 

RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER 


THE WORK OF JUNIORS IN THE 
TELEGRAPH SERVICE 


BY 

RALPH EDWARD BERRY 

IV 


ISSUED BY 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

IN CO-OPERATION WITH 

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 


BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
APRIL, 1922 


FOREWORD 


This is the fourth of a series of studies of junior positions in com¬ 
mercial occupations, made by the Research and Service Center of the 
Division of Vocational Education. This analysis deals with junior 
positions in local and division telegraph offices and is confined to 
jobs in the Commercial and Traffic Departments. 

The material is published particularly as a source of information 
for teachers of part-time and evening-school pupils employed in this 
field. It is hoped that it will also be useful to telegraph companies 
in training their employees, and to teachers and others as a guide in 
making similar studies in the fields in which young workers who come 
under the Part-time Act are engaged. 

The preliminary survey of the field was made by Mr. F. W. 
Boettler, Training Officer with the U. S. Veterans’ Bureau, and the 
complete and intensive study was made by Mr. R. E. Berry, Associate 
Professor of Commerce in the University of Wyoming, on leave of 
absence. The study was directed and edited by Miss Emilv G. Palmer, 
Special Agent for the Training of Part-time Teachers, University of 
California. 

Robert J. Leonard, 

Director, Division of Vocational Education, University of California. 


ACKOWLEDGMENT 

The Research and Service Center of the Division of Vocational 
Education wishes to express its appreciation of the whole-hearted 
cooperation and assistance of the officials of the Western Union 
Telegraph Company in making this study of the organization and 
functions of a telegraph company and of the work of its younger 
employees. 

We feel especially fortunate in having had the opportunity to 
study the work in the Traffic Department in the division offices in 
San Francisco, since this Traffic Department is one of the largest 
in the United States and is considered the most modern in the world. 


List of Diagrams. 

List of Illustrations 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

. 4 
. 4 


Part One 
INTRODUCTION 

The Invention and Development of the Telegraph . 5 

The Multiplex System. 7 

The Organization of a Telegraph Company. 10 

The Commercial Department. 10 

The Traffic Department. 12 

The Plant Department. 17 

The Auditing Department....*. 17 

Employment Conditions in a Telegraph Company. 18 

The Purpose and Scope of the Study... 19 

Obtaining and Organizing the Material. 20 

Determining the Knowledge and Skill Required. 20 

Organizing the Analyses. 21 

Organizing the Background Material. 21 

Part Two 

ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 

The Receipt and Delivery of Messages. 23 

Messenger. 25 

*General Facts Concerning the Job. 25 

*Duties... 25 

* Required Knowledge. 31 

*Promotional Possibilities. 38 

Receiving Clerk. 39 

Tube and Copy Clerk. 57 

Call Circuit Clerk. 60 

Collect Register Clerk. 63 

Delivery Route Clerk. 66 

Mail Bureau Clerk...“. 74 

The Transmission of Messages. 76 

Tube Attendant.•. 79 

Route Clerk. 83 

Route Aid. 86 

Distributor. 88 

Automatic Operator. 90 

Sequence Clerk. 92 

File Clerk. 96 

Searcher File Clerk. 99 

File and Copy Clerk. 101 

Telephone Recorder. 104 

Morse Operator. 109 

Route Supervisor. Ill 

Service Clerk.. 112 

Statistical Clerk. 115 

Claim Clerk. 117 

Timekeeper. 119 


*Each of the following positions is analyzed under these four headings. 















































Part Three 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 

PAGE 

Background Topics. 121 

Telegraphy. 121 

Other Methods of Message Transmission. 121 

The Telegraph Service. 123 

Economic Importance of the Telegraph..*. 123 

The Telegraph Company. 123 

Legal Status of the Telegraph Company. 123 

Regulation of Telegraph Companies. 124 

History of the Western Union. 124 

History of Other Telegraph Companies. 124 

The Telegraph in Business. 124 

The State Industrial Welfare Commission. 124 

The State Industrial Accident Commission. 125 

Anecdotes of the Service. 125 

Corporations. 126 

Statistics. 126 

Filing Systems. 126 

Elementary Business Law. 127 

Bookkeeping and Accounting... 127 

Geography. 128 

English. 128 

The Employee’s Responsibilities. 128 

The Telegraph Company’s Responsibilities. 130 

Books and Magazines Dealing with Telegraphy. 130 

Vocabulary of Terms Used in the Telegraph Business. 136 

Suggested Lessons for Messengers. 137 

Occupational Gackground Group. 137 

Efficiency and Promotion Group. I 55 

Citizenship Group. 169 

Safety, Health, and Hygiene Group. 175 

LIST OF DIAGRAMS 

Organization Diagram—Commercial Department. 9 

Organization Diagram—Branch Office. H 

Organization Diagram—Traffic Department... 13 

Organization Diagram—Delivery Department. 24 

National Organization Diagram—Telegraph Company. 122 

Classes of Domestic Messages. 134 

0 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Automatic Set. ' . 6 

Section of Automatic Tape. 7 

Multiplex Distributor. 77 

Central Distributing Center, Western Union Office, San Francisco.82 










































PART ONE 


INTRODUCTION 

The Invention and Development of the Telegraph 

In the year 1837 S. F. B. Morse devised a telegraph in which an 
armature by an electromagnet was made to mark a dot or a dash upon 
a moving strip of paper. Electric telegraphy was not, however, in 
successful operation until the year 1844, when the first line was 
installed between Washington and Baltimore. From the time this 
line was established and the practicability of telegraphic communi¬ 
cation demonstrated, the telegraph business has expanded steadily, 
along with other means for the transmission of messages by the use 
of electricity, until today the Western Union Telegraph Company, 
alone, has more than twenty-five thousand offices in operation in the 
United States. Every civilized country is covered with a network 
of telegraph wires and each continent is linked directly or indirectly 
with every other continent by telegraph or cable. Although the tele¬ 
phone is today of first importance in short distance, house-to-house 
communication, and although the wireless telephone is being perfected 
and the radiotelegraph transmits messages many thousands of miles, 
nevertheless, the telegraph remains supreme as the most widely used 
and most economical means of long distance message transmission by 
electricity. In the United States the Western Union Telegraph Com¬ 
pany claims about eighty-five per cent of all the telegraph business, 
the only other company handling any considerable amount of country¬ 
wide telegraph business being the Postal Telegraph Company. 

One can scarcely conceive of our great railroad systems operating 
without the aid of the telegraph. A bank without its daily, and in 
many cases hourly, telegraphic reports of market and stock exchange 
fluctuations would be at a loss indeed as to the proper course to 
pursue in the matter of loans and discounts. And business in gen¬ 
eral, were it forced for a week to dispense with the aid of the telegraph 
would find itself in a state of paralyzed uncertainty. In short, the 
telegraph is a public necessity, vital to the commercial, economic, 
industrial, and social welfare of the country, and used daily for the 
transmission of many thousands of messages. 


6 


INTRODUCTION 



AUTOMATIC SET—THE MESSAGE IS TRANSLATED INTO PERFORATIONS ON A TAPE 







DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


7 


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//i:? multiplex or automatic system .—Besides the Morse system of 
telegraphy, operated by key and sounder, with which everyone is 
more or less familiar, there has been developed in recent years the 
Multiplex, or, as it is frequently called, the Automatic System of 
Printing Telegraphy. It was developed expressly for the purpose of 
handling a larger volume of telegraph traffic than is possible with the 
Morse system, and doing it with greater dispatch and accuracy. 

Multiplex operating is effected by means of a sending instrument 
(a perforator), a transmitter, rotating sending-and-receiving distribu¬ 
tors with repeating rela 3 r s, and a receiving instrument (a printer). 
All of these are electrically operated. A cut showing the sending 
instrument (perforator), the transmitter, and the receiving instru¬ 
ment (printer) is shown on page 6. Beginning at the right, the 
operator may be seen striking the keys of the perforator. The tape 
which is perforated passes through the transmitter and into a con¬ 
tainer through a slot in the table. The third instrument, which is 
the one on the left hand side, is the receiving instrument, or printer, 
and belongs in the distant city to which the message is being sent. 

When sending a telegram the operator typewrites it on a perfora¬ 
tor. As the keys of this sending instrument are struck by the typist 
they punch holes in a narrow moving paper tape. Each letter of the 
alphabet, as well as figures and other characters, is represented by a 
separate combination of from one to five small circular perforations 
in the tape. For example, when the letter “ A ” is struck, perforations 
are made at positions one and two on the tape (three, four and five 
remaining blank). Striking the letter “R” perforates two and four 
(one, three, and five remaining blank). Striking the letter “E” per¬ 
forates one (two, three, four, and five remaining blank). 

Small metal fingers pass through the perforations in the tape, per¬ 
mitting negative impulses to pass to the wire from a given channel. 
Blanks prevent these fingers from coming through and allow only 
positive impulses to be sent to the wire. The five pulses or perfora¬ 
tions referred to are known as the “five-unit” code. It is appar¬ 
ent that when either negative or positive electricity is applied at 
will to any of them, thirty-one combinations are possible, pro¬ 
viding for the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, plus five other 
characters which are found on any ordinary typewriter. A cut, 
showing a section of automatic tape will be found below. The 
middle line of small holes feeds the tape through the transmitter. 


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INTRODUCTION 


As the perforations are made in the moving tape, impulses are 
transmitted to the line through a sending distributor. At the distant 
office they come to the receiving distributor and are passed thence 
to the receiving typewriter (the printer). As the type-wheel in the 
receiving typewriter receives each impulse it turns the face of the 
selected letter toward the message blank and strikes the letter. The 
receiving operator watches the message as it is being printed. When 
it is finished the operator tears off the blank with the message printed 
on it ready for delivery, and another blank is then in place for receiv¬ 
ing the next message. 

Through the operation of the sending and receiving distributors, 
eight messages, four in each direction, may be sent over a circuit at 
the same time. Each sending and receiving distributor is a disc 
divided into four quadrants. A sending machine at one end and a 
receiving machine at the other operate through each quadrant. Each 
quadrant is divided into five segments, to which the five previously 
mentioned positions on the moving tape correspond. A cut showing 
the distributors is shown on page 77. The segmented face of the discs 
can be seen on both distributors. 

The impulses started by each of the four sending instruments pass 
to the proper quadrant and segment on the sending distributor. Dis¬ 
tributing brushes pick up the impulses from these segments in rapid 
succession and record one letter on each of the four receiving printers 
in one revolution. The receiving distributor through which this is 
effected, and the sending distributor, are perfectly synchronized by 
means of tuning forks and a corrector device so that their brushes 
pass over the corresponding quadrants and segments at the same 
instant. It will be observed that four sending and four receiving 
machines may be hitched to each end of a wire connecting two cities, 
and from two to eight messages, depending upon traffic requirements, 
, passed over the wire simultaneously. 

By means of an automatic control device the sending and receiv¬ 
ing operators can instantly communicate with each other, should it 
become necessary during the transmission of a message. In case of 
necessity, an automatic circuit may be converted into a manual or 
Morse circuit simply by turning a switch. 

At the present time all of the large and many of the smaller 
Western Union offices, and also the cable offices, are connected directly 
by multiplex circuits. Additional multiplex installations are being 
made wherever traffic loads warrant. 


ORGANIZATION DIAGRAM—COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT 

The night manager’s jurisdiction embraces a combination of the day positions of Delivery Supervisor and Assistant Manager 
during the evening hours. 

The Telephone Bureau is often a part of the Traffic Department. 

The Bookeeping Bureau is often a part of the Auditing Department, especially in division offices. 


DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


9 




CITY SUPERINTENDENT 





























































































































































10 


INTRODUCTION 


The Organization of a Telegraph Company 


From the administrative standpoint the work of a great telegraph 
system, such as the Western Union, requires an effective organization. 
For purposes of administration the country is divided into a number 
of divisions. Each division is subdivided into districts, and each 
district into as many local subclivisons as may be necessary. Each 
division has its own separate administrative organization which carries 
on the business of the company in the territory included in the divi¬ 
sion. At regular intervals the divisional organizations render an 
accounting to the central administrative or home office of the com¬ 
pany. Traveling auditors and other officials from the home office keep 
in close touch with the work in the various divisions. 

The work of a telegraph company is carried on by four depart¬ 
ments, each having distinct and important functions to perform. The 
heads of these departments report directly to their respective depart¬ 
ment heads in the home office. In addition, there is a superintendent 
for each large city in the division, who reports directly to the Division 
General Manager and is responsible to him for the work of the com¬ 
mercial department in his city. These departments are the Commer¬ 
cial Department, the Traffic Department, the Plant Department, and 
the Auditing Department. A chart showing the national organiza¬ 
tion of the Western Union Telegraph Company will be found on 
page 122. 

The Commercial Department .—This department is the direct rep¬ 
resentative of the telegraph company in its relations with the public. 
It may be described as the outside rim of the organization. It makes 
all the contracts with the public, receiving and delivering messages, 
establishing new and improving old offices, dealing with complaints 
and providing the stimulus for service improvements, anticipating the 
large and small needs of the public, and providing the necessary 
facilities and service. 


The two chief functions of the Commercial Department are receiv¬ 
ing and delivering messages. When the volume of business is large 
the delivery of messages often requires a separate organization under 
a delivery supervisor, and in large cities a branch office organization. 

Besides the two functions mentioned above, the Commercial De¬ 
partment has many others to perform. The money transfer service, 
by which money is transferred by telegraph and cable to points in 
the United States and in foreign countries, is a part of the work of 
the Commercial Department. When a firm wishes to send packages 
to a large number of addresses located in the same town or city, it 
may ship the packages in bulk to the telegraph office, and by arrange- 


DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


11 


ment with the Commercial Department, these packages will be de¬ 
livered by messengers to the individual addressees. The commercial 
news service is arranged for, by individuals or firms through contract 
with the Commercial Department. This service is provided by the 
telegraph company to furnish market quotations and reports, sport- 



OKGANIZATION DIAGRAM-BRANCH OFFICE 

Note: In small branch offices the organization will often consist simply of a 

branch manager and a messenger. 




















































12 


INTRODUCTION 


ing and other news by messenger, private wire, or ticker, daily or 
hourly, on one or any number of commodities. The time service is 
also in charge of the Commercial Department. The chief evidence 
of this service is the electrically regulated clock found in so many 
business houses and public places. Through an arrangement with the 
Self-Winding Clock Company, clocks are furnished on a monthly rental 
basis by the Western Union Telegraph Company and are corrected 
hourly by master clocks in Western Union offices. Such clocks are 
also used to ring bells in schools, blow factory whistles, flash signal 
lights, etc. In short, every service which a telegraph company renders 
is secured through the Commercial Department. On page 9 will 
be found a chart showing the organization of the Commercial Depart¬ 
ment of the Western Union Telegraph Company. 

The Traffic Department .—It is the business of the Traffic Depart¬ 
ment to receive and transmit messages over the wires, to test and 
regulate inside wires and apparatus, to attend to the clerical and 
statistical work of the department, and to give new operators the 
necessary training. For the performance of these functions, the 
Traffic Department, under the supervision of a chief operator, is 
divided into a number of sections or smaller departments, each having 
certain definite duties to discharge. 

The actual transmission of messages is attended to by the Oper¬ 
ating Bureau. There are two sections in this bureau in large main 
and division offices. One section attends to the transmission of mess¬ 
ages over the Morse or manual circuits, and the other to the trans¬ 
mission of messages over the automatic circuits. Each of these sections 
of the Operating Bureau is under the direct supervision of an assistant 
chief operator. Under the assistant chief operators there are several 
unit supervisors, who are in charge of the operators serving various 
circuits. 

The Central Distributing Center for the Traffic Department is 
under the direction of a route supervisor. Messages for transmission, 
received at the main office and at branch offices, are sent to the Central 
Distributing Center through the pneumatic tubes. Here a tube 
attendant removes the messages from the carriers and sends them on 
a belt to the route clerks. The route clerks examine the messages, note 
their destination, mark the routing upon them, and place them upon 
the proper belt for distribution to the sending operators. Route 
distributors and route aids receive the messages as they drop from 
the belts, and take them to the proper Morse or automatic sending 
operators, as indicated by the initials or numbers placed on them by 
the route clerks. 


DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


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14 


INTRODUCTION 


Messages for local delivery are placed immediately upon the belts 

the receiving operators. The belts carry the messages to the Cen¬ 
tral Distributing Center. Here the route clerks remove the messages 
from the belt, note the name, address, and the character of the mess¬ 
age, and mark the routing in pencil. Messages which are to be tele¬ 
phoned out are passed on the belt to the directory clerk who looks up 
the telephone numbers in the directory, notes them upon the messages, 
and places the messages upon a belt which carries them to the Tele¬ 
phone Bureau. The other messages are passed on the belt to a tube 
attendant who sends them through the tubes to the branch offices, to 
the Delivery Department of the main office, or to the offices of officials 
of the company, as indicated by the penciled instructions of the route 
clerks. 

The telephone is an important adjunct to the telegraph. Under 
the supervision of an assistant chief operator, the Telephone Bureau 
of large main or division offices handles commercial traffic between 
the branch offices and the main office. The Telephone Bureau also 
receives messages from customers and makes telephonic delivery of 
messages to them. In the telephonic transmission of messages between 
the branch offices and the main office, the operators must follow a pre¬ 
scribed routine, using this list of guard words to minimize the possi¬ 
bility of error: 


A like 

Adams 

N 

like 

Newark 

B “ 

Boston 

O 

C ( 

Ocean 

C “ 

Chicago 

P 

i i 

Peter 

D “ 

Denver 

Q 

i ( 

Queen 

E “ 

Edward 

R 

i ( 

Robert 

p ‘ * 

Frank 

S 

i i 

Sugar 

G “ 

George 

T 

< i 

Texas 

H “ 

Henry 

U 

( c 

Union 

I “ 

Ida 

V 

i ( 

Violet. 

J “ 

John 

W 

i ( 

Western 

K “ 

King 

X 

(i 

X-ray 

L “ 

Lincoln 

Y 

(( 

Yale 

M “ 

Mary 

Z 

i ( 

Zero 

Initial 

(said before initials) 

Number (said before numbers) 


The Telephone Bureau also has several private branch exchange 
operators, whose duty it is to make connections for private branch 
exchanges. 


DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


15 


The following outline shows the organization of a typical Tele¬ 
phone Bureau of a large main telegraph office. 

Public Operators: 

Receiving messages from the public. 

Delivering messages to the public. 

Branch Operators (Receiving and delivering) : 

Intra-office operators (city branches). 

Way circuit operators (to nearby small towns). 

Trunk circuit operators (to nearby large towns). 

Private Branch Exchange Operators: 

Making connections for private branch exchanges. 

In smaller offices, where the volume of work is not sufficient to 
warrant such a complete organization, all of the telephone work may 
be performed by one or two operators. In practically every telegraph 
office, no matter how small, there will be found a telephone for use 
in sending and receiving telegrams. 

The testing and regulating work in the Traffic Department is 
performed by a corps of experts under the direction of a wire chief. 
It is the duty of these men to see that all circuits, wires, belts, and 
interior equipment are kept in order night and day for the proper 
sending and receiving of messages. 

The organization described above for the work during the day is 
duplicated on a smaller scale for the night work and late night work. 
The night chief operator and the late-night chief operator report 
directly to the chief operator. 

The Service Bureau is under the supervision of an assistant chief 
operator. To this bureau come daily many requests for information 
regarding errors, inaccuracies, or misunderstandings about telegrams. 
Such requests come from local recipients of telegrams, from distant 
telegraph offices, and from other departments in the local office. The 
Service Bureau also sends out for the local office an equally large 
number of requests for information or instructions to distant offices 
because some word in a telegram is not clear, because the address is 
inaccurate or incomplete, because the addressee could not be found, 
because tolls were refused on a collect message, etc. To expedite the 
work of sending and answering queries, copies of all telegrams are 
filed in the Service Bureau for a period of forty-eight hours before 
being sent to the Bookkeeping Bureau for permanent filing. 


16 


INTRODUCTION 


Copies of all telegrams received for local delivery are filed alpha¬ 
betically according to the name of the addressee. Telegrams sent from 
the local office to other points are filed alphabetically under the name of 
the state of destination. Messages for New York and a few other large 
offices are filed in a separate cabinet, each class of message being kept 
in a separate compartment. The work of the Service Bureau must be 
performed with all possible dispatch. A careful check is kept on the 
work of the Service Bureau to see that each service is performed 
within the allotted time. In order that the work of the Service Bureau 
may be performed as expeditiously and as economically as possible, 
telegraphic requests for information and advice prepared by the 
bureau are written, as far as possible, in a simple code by using abbre¬ 
viations agreed upon for service messages. An alphabetized list of 
the abbreviations used in service messages follows: 


ADS 

Address 

GNTEE-D 

Guarantee-d 

ADSD 

Addressed 

MK 

Make 

ANS 

Answer 

HW 

Herewith 

Black 

Day Message 

HA 

Hurry Answer 

Blue 

Day Letter 

MSG 

Message 

CAK 

Contract Message 

NM 

Not at Home 

GDC 

Central Distributing Center 

NITE 

Night Message 

CFN 

Confirmation 

NL 

Night Letter 

CHGS 

Charges 

NR 

No Record 

CK 

Check 

NSA 

No Such Address 

COLL 

Collect 

NSN 

No Such Number 

GY 

Copy 

NSS 

No Such Street 

DELY 

Delivery 

OFS 

Office 

DEPT 

Department 

OGNL . 

Original 

DUP 

Duplicate 

OUR 

Our Message of Date 

DFS 

Disregard Former Service 

PBX 

Private Branch Exchange 

DSTC 

Delivered Subject to Cor¬ 

PTY 

Party 


rection 

RDS 

Reads 

DH 

Deadhead 

RPT 

Report 

DLD 

Delivered 

REL 

Release 

DLR 

Deliver 

RP 

Reply Prepaid 

DSTN 

Destination 

SGD 

Signed 

ESTO 

Erase Subject to Correction 

SG 

Signature 

FM 

From 

SUPVR 

Supervisor 

FLT 

Filing Time 

SVC 

Service 

GOVT 

Government 

SYS 

See Your Service 

GBA 

Get Better Address 

UNDLD 

Undelivered 

GSA 

Give Some Address 

UNKN 

Unknown 

LC 

Left City 

WD 

Word 

GQA 

Get Quick Answer 

YR 

Your Message Date 


DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION 


17 


A chief clerk, together with his office force, attends to the clerical 
work of the Traffic Department, including time-keeping, statistical 
work, claims presented by patrons, and all correspondence of the de¬ 
partment. 

An Operators’ School, under an instructress, is maintained for the 
purpose of training those who are to become either automatic, Morse, 
or telephone operators for the company. The students in this school 
are placed upon the payroll of the company and receive a salary while 
learning. Automatic operating is done almost exclusively by girls, 
while Morse operating is done almost as exclusively by men. 

A nurse and a matron are also attached to the Traffic Department 
as part of the service which the company renders its employees. 

The Plant Department .—It is the function of the Plant Depart¬ 
ment to see that there shall be, at all times, an efficient and well man- * 
aged plant, including all equipment, for the proper transaction of 
the business of the telegraph company. The Plant Department of a 
telegraph company includes a corps of specialists trained in the science 
of telegraphic engineering. An army of engineers, mechanics, and 
laborers is constantly employed in the maintenance of the plant. This 
work comprises the care and repair of buildings and interior equip¬ 
ment, the opening of new offices and the installation of the proper 
equipment, erecting new land lines and laying new cables, and keep¬ 
ing the lines and cables in operation. In short, the Plant Department 
is charged with the performance of all duties connected with the 
installation, construction, inspection, maintenance, and improvement 
of equipment, plants, lines, and plant supplies. 

The work of the Plant Department in each division is under the 
direction of a division plant superintendent. He is assisted by an 
office manager, a division supervisor of supplies, a division equipment 
supervisor, a division line supervisor, and a division plant accountant. 

In addition, there are in each district of the division a district plant 
superintendent, a district equipment foreman, and a district line fore¬ 
man. 

The Auditing Department .—The Auditing and Accounting De¬ 
partment of a telegraph company does not differ greatly from that 
of any other large institution in respect to the functions it has to 
perform. However, there are innumerable small items in the receipts 
and expenditures of a telegraph company, making close and constant 
supervision necessary. All offices in the field are financed on an 
advance basis through the fiscal agent located at division headquarters, 
upon whom drafts are drawn by offices for funds with which to meet 


18 


INTRODUCTION 


expenses. All receipts are deposited daily by each office to the credit 
of the fiscal agent. 

A force of men, traveling out of the office of the division auditor, 
is almost constantly in the field making audits of accounts in the 
offices of superintendents and managers, and instructing employees 
in the requirements of accounting work. 


Employment Conditions in a Telegraph Company 

The work in a telegraph company is pleasant and clean; there are 
few occupational hazards or health risks connected with it. The 
employee who is industrious and takes an interest in the work finds 
it both pleasant and profitable. The work is neither seasonal nor 
sectional and the wages are not lower than the average for work of 
a similar nature in other lines of business. 

The telegraph company pursues a broad and liberal policy toward 
its employees and takes an active interest in their moral and physical 
welfare. No messenger is allowed to deliver a telegram in a place 
of questionable repute. Any employee who is injured in the perform¬ 
ance of his duty receives, during the time of his disability, not the 
sixty-five per cent of his wage as required under the regulations of 
the Industrial Accident Commission, but the full amount of his wage. 
The employee is also protected in sickness and old age by the benefit 
and retirement fund of the company. 

Opportunities for advancement .—There are many opportunities 
for advancement of young workers to well paid and responsible posi¬ 
tions in a telegraph company in all branches of its service. The 
employee who shows an aptitude for mechanical or electrical work can 
find congenial employment in the Plant Department. A line of pro¬ 
motion is open to him in that department, leading up from inside or 
outside operative work to supervisorial and administrative positions 
in the district, divisional, and central administrative organzation of 
the companjL The employee who manifests interest and ability in 
the interpretation of statistical data will find the upward path wide 
open to him in the Accounting Department of the company. The 
young operator has an equal chance for advancement in the Traffic 
Department. The employee possessed of tact and good address will 
find an opportunity to make use of such abilities in the Commercial 
Department, through which the contacts with the public, necessitated 
by the numerous services which a telegraph company renders, are 
maintained. 


EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS 


19 


Opportunities for training .—In the telegraph business the problem 
of providing* training for youthful employees should not be particu¬ 
lar^' difficult for either the telegraph company or the public schools. 
Because of the difference in time between the eastern and western 
sections of the country, there is a part of each day, especially in the 
Rocky Mountain and Far Western States, when the volume of business 
is much smaller than in the earlier morning and later afternoon hours. 
During slack hours it should be a comparatively easy matter, especially 
in cities, to arrange for a considerable number of the younger employees 
to attend classes at the same time, thus giving opportunity for group 
instruction. By alternating the groups on various days of the week, 
it would be possible for practically all of the younger employees to 
receive instruction without material^ disturbing the service. 

Results of training .—The value of training for these minor posi¬ 
tions, both to the telegraph company and to its junior employees, has 
been demonstrated by experiments conducted in a few telegraph offices 
in training their messenger forces. While this training has not been 
systematized, it has nevertheless been productive of some significant 
results. Among these may be mentioned a longer term of service, 
more efficient work, more opportunities for advancement, and a reduc¬ 
tion in the cost of delivering messages. 

The Purpose and Scope of the Study 

Through a preliminary survey it was found that within telegraph 
and cable offices there are many positions held by young workers for 
which no training is offered but in which there is valuable teaching 
content. As a result of the lack of definite training, many of these 
youthful employees fail to appreciate the significance and importance 
of their jobs, or to see the various possibilities for advancement. The 
consequent rapid labor turnover in some of the positions is disadvan¬ 
tageous both to the telegraph company and to the employees, for in 
many cases the junior employees, especially the messengers, do not 
remain with the company long enough to become a real part of the 
organization. However, judging from the many and varied duties 
of the junior employees, a systematized program of training for them 
should be possible as well as profitable. 

The purpose of this study was to discover the positions in this field 
which are filled by young workers or which could be filled by young 
workers, and to analyze the work both as to operations and teaching 
content. The positions to which particular attention is given are not 
those dealing with bookkeeping, stenography, typewriting, or the filing 


20 


INTRODUCTION 


of correspondence, but those found in the telegraph business which 
are, or may be, held by youths with less than high school education, 
and for which no formal or organized training is offered at present 
either by the schools or by the employing companies. The problem 
might also be stated as that of discovering what training could be 
offered by the Part-time Schools to youths employed in the telegraph 
business, since many of these youths come under the part-time school 
law in this and other states. In addition to junior positions, five 
others to which juniors might be promoted are analyzed. 


Obtaining and Organizing the Material 

The material embodied in this bulletin was obtained as the result 
of a study in the division offices of the Western Union Telegraph 
Company in San Francisco. After permission was obtained to make 
the study, the general nature of the work in a given position was 
obtained by interviewing the executive in charge. Then the worker 
in question was observed and his duties listed step by step. A rough 
draft was first made of the data collected, and this was then checked 
and revised after numerous conferences with officials and workers 
and further observation of the work. Before the final draft was made 
as it appears in the following pages, the material was submitted to 
the heads of the various departments and to other officials of the com¬ 
pany. After their comments, suggestions, and criticisms were received, 
it was drafted into final form. 

Determining the knowledge and skill required .—When the list of 
duties was completed and classified, the next step was to determine the 
knowledge and skill required for the proper performance of the duties 
and to arrange the knowledge and skill under convenient headings for 
purposes of instruction. This was done by examining each duty and 
grouping under appropriate headings the knowledge and skill required 
to perform it. It is evident that every such body of knowledge and 
skill will contain the following items: 

1. The nature of the service rendered or the commodity sold by 

the department in which the job is found. 

2. IIow to manipulate any office appliance or machine used in con¬ 

nection with the job. 

3. The proper way to make social contacts, such as meeting patrons, 

delivering messages, receiving complaints, or answering the 

telephone. 


ORGANIZATION OF ANALYSES 


21 


4. The routine and regulations governing the work. 

5. The proper way to perform each task. 

6. The proper method of making reports of the work done. 

Organizing the analyses .—The analysis of each job is divided into 
four sections. The first section contains a number of important facts 
concerning the job, including the department in which the job is 
found, the length of time required for an inexperienced worker to 
learn the job, the entrance requirements, such as age, sex, special skill 
or training, and personal, physical, and educational qualifications. 
The second section contains a classified list of duties connected with 
the job, as ascertained by observation, study, and questioning workers 
and department or bureau heads. The third section contains a classi¬ 
fied body of knowledge and skill required in the performance of the 
duties, as deduced from a study of each task. In this part will be 
found only the knowledge which is of direct value on the job. The 
supplementary or background knowledge for all jobs with telegraph 
companies will be considered separately. The fourth section of each 
analysis contains a tabulation of certain of the more probable lines of 
promotion open to the worker on the job in question. 

As each separate job was studied, the supplementary knowledge 
usually classified under the headings of English, arithmetic, commer¬ 
cial law, writing, and other subjects, was kept in mind and listed, but 
not labeled as English, arithmetic, etc. This has resulted in placing 
the emphasis upon learning the job as a whole instead of learning the 
separate related subjects. 

Organizing the background material .—In addition to the minimum 
essentials, there is a body of background knowledge about the jobs 
and the occupation which should broaden the worker’s understanding 
of his job and the occupation, give him a picture of the work as a 
service to society, and show him his relation to the service he performs, 
both as an employee in the organization and as a contributor to the 
social good. This body of background knowledge consists of the fol¬ 
lowing items: 

1. The history of the occupation. 

2. The social and economic importance of the occupation. 

3. The history of the employee’s company and its relative impor¬ 

tance in the field. 


22 


INTRODUCTION 


4. The policy of the company in relation to its employees and to 

the services it renders. 

5. The opportunities for advancement in the occupation. 

6. The business ethics and decorum, and the demands for good 

citizenship in the occupation. 

7. The care of the health and the avoidance of injury in the occu¬ 

pation. 

8. A vocabulary of occupational terms. 

9. A list of books and magazines dealing with the occupation. 

It is information of this character which should make of the em¬ 
ployee more than a mere performer of duties. It should cause him to 
take an interest in the better performance of his duties, bring him 
to a realization of the fact that the interests of the company for which 
he is working are his own interests, and give him a feeling of pride 
in his occupation as a service to society. 


ORGANIZATION OF ANALYSES 


23 


PART TWO 

ANALYSES OF THE POSITIONS 

The Receipt and Delivery of Messages 

When a person sending- a telegram steps up to the counter in a 
telegraph office with the message he is met by the receiving clerk in 
the Commercial Department. This clerk counts the number of words 
in the message, asks what class of service is desired, and whether the 
message is to go paid or collect. This information is placed in the 
upper right hand corner of the blank in the space marked “check." 
Then the clerk proceeds to ascertain the rate from the rate sheet, 
figures the charges or tolls, takes the cash and makes a record of it 
if the message is prepaid, and asks the sender for his address, placing 
it in the lower left hand corner of the blank. The receiving clerk also 
places in the check any special information such as special valuation 
of the message, request to have the message repeated back, request 
to report delivery, etc. The message is then sent to the Operating 
Division of the Traffic Department for transmission. 

The Commercial Department also attends to the delivery of mess¬ 
ages. The messages are received from the Traffic Department through 
the central distributing center. After being copied the messages are 
sorted into paid messages and collect messages. The night letters 
are segregated from the other paid telegrams, and all are placed in 
envelopes. The night letters are laid aside for delivery on the follow¬ 
ing morning. The others are sent out immediately. 

The collect messages are passed to the collect register clerk. After 
the proper entries have been made these messages, too, are immediately 
sent out by messenger. Messages for which the addressee will call are 
also filed in the Commercial Department. When the Commercial 
Department is unable, for any reason, to locate the addressee and 
make delivery, the message is sent to the Service Department for 
handling. 

When regular customers wish to have messengers call at frequent 
intervals they may, if they so desire, be placed upon the automatic 
call circuit. When a call comes in for a messenger the call circuit 
clerk tears off the tape coming from the call box, looks up the number 
registered on the tape in groups of dashes, ascertains the name and 
address of the person sending in the call, and instructs a messenger 


24 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


to go there and bring in the messages. This work gives rise to 
the positions outlined in the chart of the Commercial Department, 
on page 9, and in that of the Delivery Department shown below. 
Analyses of the junior positions of Messenger, Mail Bureau Clerk, 
Tube and Copy Clerk, Call Circuit Clerk, and Collect Register Clerk, 
and the higher positions of Delivery Clerk, and Receiving Clerk, as 
illustrative of those to which juniors may be promoted, will be found 
on the pages immediately following. 



ORGANIZATION DIAGRAM—DELIVERY DEPARTMENT 


Note: Positions marked with one star 
with two stars (**) are positions 


(*) are entering positions. Those marked 
to which juniors may be promoted. 































































MESSENGER 


25 


MESSENGER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: commercial department. 

Length of learning period: a few weeks on the job. 

Special hazards: traffic risks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: usually not.under sixteen. 

Sex: usually male. 

Previous skill or training: ability to ride a bicycle or motorcycle 
and care for it. 

Personal qualifications: reliability. 

Physical qualifications: a sound body and mind; loss of one arm 
the only exception. 

Educational qualifications: literacy. 

II. Duties 

In regard to meeting the public. 

Endeavor to make a good impression for the company. 

Keep the uniform, shoes, hands, and face clean, and the hair cut fre¬ 
quently. 

Remove the cap on entering an office or residence. 

Be courteous, prompt, and accurate. 

Do not ask for gifts of money. 

In regard to office regulations. 

Follow the rules of the company in regard to the time of coming on 
and going off duty, relief time, lunch period, and in regard to 
getting and turning in the uniform each day. 

When coming on duty report to the delivery clerk as soon as in uni¬ 
form, in order to be recorded “on duty.” 

Report to the delivery clerk when going to and returning from lunch 
period, relief period, when returning from delivery, and when 
going off duty. 

Be orderly and quiet while in the office awaiting turn to deliver mess¬ 
ages. 

Report to the delivery clerk or delivery supervisor any comment or 
criticism on the services of the company. 

Notify the delivery supervisor if unable to report for duty. 


26 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


In regard to equipment. 

See that the bicycle or motorcycle is in good order before coming on 
duty. 

Have pencil, message blanks, delivery notices, rate sheet, and a small 
amount of cash, in preparation for the day’s work. 

In regard to traffic regulations. 

Be careful. Safey first! Be watchful and cautious when riding or 
walking in the streets. 

Learn the traffic rules and obey them. 

Do not hold on to moving street cars or automobiles. 

Do not attempt to pass street cars or automobiles while they are slow¬ 
ing down, or standing at street intersections. 

Do not pass any vehicle on the right hand side; always go to the left. 
Always watch for pedestrians stepping from the curb or the street 
car in front of you. 

Equip your bicycle or motorcycle with a bell or horn, and if used 
at night, with lights. 

In case of accident, due either to your own fault or the fault of others, 
report the complete facts at once to your office and to the Police 
Department Traffic Bureau. 

In regard to delivering messages. 

In receiving messages: 

Go to the delivery clerk when called. 

Receive from the delivery clerk the messages and the correspond¬ 
ing delivery cheet. 

Time the delivery sheet if the delivery clerk has not done so. 

See that the number of messages received corresponds with the 
number listed on the delivery sheet. 

In following the route: 

Note the address on the topmost message envelope and proceed to 
that address. 

Follow the route indicated by the route clerk and do not waste 
time in making the deliveries. 

In making the deliver} 7 : 

Note whether tolls are paid or collect, and if collect, the amount. 
Note whether there are instructions on the envelope indicating 
that an answer is desired. 

Note the name of the addressee and whether the message is ad¬ 
dressed to more than one party. 

Have the message and the delivery sheet ready when the door is 
opened. 


MESSENGER 


27 


State for whom the message is intended. 

If the person answering the door is the addressee, or one author¬ 
ized to sign for the addressee, deliver the message, get the sig¬ 
nature, and if message is collect receive the money. 

Write the time on the delivery sheet opposite the name of the 
addressee. 

In no case sign the delivery sheet for the addressee. 

If the addressee refuses to sign enter the time of delivery on the 
delivery sheet and report the matter to the delivery clerk. 

If tolls are to be collected and addressee refuses to pay, deliver 
the message and make the proper notation on the delivery sheet. 

When a star ( # ) appears after the name of the addressee, indicat¬ 
ing that the message relates to sickness or death, deliver the 
message with all possible dispatch. 

Remember that it is against the law to destroy a message, letter, 
or package entrusted to a telegraph company, or to disclose 
the contents of a message or letter, and that the offense is 
punishable by fine or imprisonment. 

When delivering messages in care of hotels: 

Leave the messages with the clerk at the desk except in the case 
of messages marked “personal.” 

Attempt to make personal delivery of any message marked “per¬ 
sonal,” unless assured by the clerk that personal delivery can¬ 
not be made. 

If the addressee has left the hotel attempt to secure his forwarding 
address and make a note of it. 

Inquire for messages which have remained undelivered for twenty- 
four hours and bring all such messages back to the office unless 
the persons to whom they are addressed are scheduled to arrive 
later. 

When delivering messages to the postoffice: 

When messages are received for delivery to the postoffice hand 
them to the clerk at the window. 

When requested to do so by the delivery clerk, attempt to get from 
the postoffice clerk the local addresses of persons whose mess¬ 
ages should not be delivered through the postoffice. 

When delivering messages addressed to passengers on trains: 

If there is sufficient time, pass through the train calling the name 
of the addressee. 

If there is not sufficient time to pass through the train, request the 
conductor to sign for the message and to endeavor to make 
delivery. 


28 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


At terminal points for trains attempt to make delivery by loudly 
calling the name of the addressee from a point of vantage as 
the passengers are leaving the train. 

In regard to getting an answer. 

If the notation on the envelope indicates that an answer is desired, 
call the attention of the addressee to the fact. 

Furnish the addressee with a message blank and pencil for writing the 
answer. 

Inquire what class of service is desired, and mark the blank accord¬ 
ingly. 

If necessary, give the addressee information to assist him in writing 
the answer. 

Ask whether the sender of the reply has a telephone, and note the 
number if he has one. 

Inquire whether the message is to be collect, prepaid, or charged, and 
mark the blank accordingly. 

If charges are to be prepaid, figure them with the aid of the rate sheet, 
or ascertain them upon return to the office. Then call again upon 
the sender to return his change or to make collection. 

If addressee refuses to send an answer, try to ascertain his reason 
and make a note of it for the information of the office. 

When residence or office is dosed. 

Leave a closed notice at both the front and the back door, to the 
effect that a message is at the office awaiting delivery. 

If the message bears an alternative address try to locate the addressee 
at the alternative address. 

If the message is addressed to more than one person, attempt to make 
delivery to the second addressee. 

If the residence or place of business is closed, make a note of the fact 
upon the envelope of the message. 

Deliver no messages to janitors, elevator operators, porters, or to any¬ 
one on the street or doorstep, or in the vestibule or hallway of an 
office building or apartment house, when the addressee cannot be 
found, except upon the written authorization of the delivery clerk. 

Leave no messages under doors, or in mail boxes, unless the messages 
bear the proper endorsement of the delivery clerk. 

In case of wrong address or “no such number.” 

If message cannot be delivered because of wrong address, telephone 
to the delivery clerk for correction or verification of the address. 

Use the abbreviation “Unkn.” to indicate that the addressee is un¬ 
known at the given address. 


MESSENGER 


29 


If there is no such street number as that found in the address try to 
locate the addressee at some of the nearby houses; also telephone 
to the delivery clerk for verification or correction of the address. 

Use the abbreviation “N. S. N. ” to indicate that there is no such num¬ 
ber. 

When addressee has moved. 

If the addressee is reported to have left town, try to ascertain his 
present address and write it upon the message envelope. 

Use the abbreviation “ Moved, Ads. Unkn. ” to indicate “ Moved, ad¬ 
dress unknown. ’ ’ 

If addressee has moved to a nearby address, attempt to make delivery 
at the new address. 

If the new address is too far off the route, make a note of the address 
and return the message to the office. 

In ease of a loss. 

If a message, delivery sheet, note, or package is lost, report the facts 
to the delivery clerk immediately. 

In regard to circuit calls (“pick-wps”). 

Listen attentively to the clerk to get the correct name and address 
of the person sending in the call. 

Proceed to the designated office and get the message or messages to 
be sent. 

If the messages are enclosed in envelopes by the customer, do not 
remove them from the envelopes. 

If messages are not in envelopes, place your number upon the back of 
each message before handing it to the call circuit clerk. 

Take the cash if the message is to be prepaid. 

If the customer presents a message written on the blank of another 
company, say to him, “I will bring you a supply of our blanks.” 

If the customer himself requests the blanks of your company, tell him 
3 r ou will bring them to him at once. Report to the call circuit 
clerk, get a supply of blanks, and take them to the customer. 

In regard to errand service. 

Take the blank from the clerk and proceed to the place indicated. 

Perform the service required. 

Keep a record of car fare, if any. 

Make the collection for the service performed, as indicated on the 
blank handed you by the clerk in the office. 

Get the proper signature to the blank. 

Return to the telegraph office and hand in the blank, together with 
any cash received. 


30 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS' 


In regard to making the report. 

When delivery has been attempted on all messages, return at once to 
the office and report. 

Time the delivery sheet to indicate the time of returning to the office. 

Turn over the delivery sheet, all cash received, and all undelivered 
messages to the delivery clerk. 

Give the delivery clerk full information in regard to undelivered mess¬ 
ages or other delivery matters. 

In regard to the services of the company. 

Learn the various classes of telegrams and cablegrams and the rules 
governing the use of each class. 

Learn what other services the telegraph company renders in addition 
to its telegram and cablegram services. 

Give information in regard to the services of the company to those 
who inquire about them. 

In regard to the regulation of telegraph companies. 

Learn and observe the rules of the Interstate Commerce Commission 
and the State Railroad Commission regarding the handling of 
messages, especially in regard to the delivery of messages. 

• 

In regard to giving additional service. 

Be on the alert to notice and report matters of possible business in¬ 
terest to the telegraph company. 

Be ready to serve the patrons of the company in any legitimate way. 

In regard to routine. 

Learn the company’s method of doing certain things in certain wavs, 
especially in delivering messages, answering calls, doing errands, 
and making reports. 

In regard to the policies of the company. 

Follow the policies of the company in regard to serving the public 
courteously, promptly, and efficiently. 

Follow especially the policies of the company in regard to performing 
all services in which messengers play a part. 

Promote the interests of the company through good service. 

In regard to good English. 

Use correct English when addressing patrons, fellow employees, and 
officers of the company. 


MESSENGER 


31 


In regard to penmanship. 

■W rite neatly and legibly when making figures or notations of any 
kind on message envelopes, delivery sheets, and delivery notices. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

Meeting the public. 

The value of courtesy, neatness, promptness, and accuracy in any 
business, and to any employee who meets the public. 

The importance of being businesslike when delivering or collecting 
messages, doing errands, or answering questions. 

How to ask politely^ the questions necessary in getting information 
needed by the company. 

What constitutes a neat appearance, and how it helps to make a good 
impression. 

Why a messenger should not expect tips or gifts from patrons of the 
telegraph company. 

Why a messenger should not cross a lawn, ring a doorbell unduly long, 
or slam a door when leaving an office. 

How to receive politely an}^ comments or complaints relative to the 
service of the company. 

Why a patron who makes a complaint is always assumed to be in the 
right. 

Office regulations. 

The rules of the company in regard to the time of coming on and 
going oft' duty, lunch time, relief time, lost time, vacations, report¬ 
ing for duty, giving notice of absence, etc. 

The great importance of obeying rules and regulations. 

Why time is such an important factor in the telegraph business, 
especially in that part of the work which is entrusted to the mess¬ 
enger. 

Why messengers must report to the delivery clerk, and why the de- 
liver} r clerk must keep a careful record of their time in making 
deliveries or collections. 


32 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 




The messenger’s equipment. 

Why a uniform is worn by messengers while on duty. 

Why the uniform must be turned in each da}^ before going off duty. 

How a neat uniform aids in making a good impression. 

How to care for a bicycle or motorcycle. 

Why the messenger should see that his bicycle or motorcycle is in good 
order before coming on duty. 

Why messengers should carry message blanks, closed notices, rate 
sheets, a pencil, a watch, and a small amount of money. 

Traffic regulations. 

The present day necessity for strict traffic regulations in small cities 
as well as in large cities. 

The conditions that have made “Safety first!” the great national 
traffic slogan. 

Why the “unexpected" so often happens in street traffic. 

General and local traffic rules and regulations. 

W hy traffic rules should be known and obeyed not only by street car 
and automobile operators, but also by motorcyclists, bicyclists, and 
pedestrians. 

Rules which bicyclists and motorcyclists should observe while in traffic. 

The kind of accidents which usually happen to messengers—those for 
which they are to blame; those for which they are not to blame. 

How these accidents usually happen and how a careful messenger 
could avoid all of them. 

The importance to all concerned of having messengers who obej" traffic 
regulations. 

The importance to the company of having all the facts in regard to 
any accident, no matter who may have been responsible for it. 

The responsibility of messengers to others who are on the streets. 

The reasons why accidents should be reported to the Traffic Bureau of 
the Police Department. 

the responsibility of the messenger to the community in preventing 
traffic accidents. 

Delivering nmessages . 

Receiving messages for delivery. 

What the messenger should receive from the delivery route clerk. 
How and why the messenger should check the messages against the 
delivery sheet. 

Why the delivery sheet should be timed by the delivery route 
clerk. 



MESSENGER 


33 


Why the messages are routed b} r the delivery route clerk. 

Why every message is considered important, and why it should 
be delivered quickly. 

The relative importance of various classes of messages. 

How to guard against loss of messages or delivery sheets while on 
the route. 

Following the route. 

The importance of following the route indicated by the delivery 
route clerk. 

The numbering system used in the city; the location of the streets, 
important buildings, and street car lines of the city. 

How to proceed to find an unknown address. 

Making the delivery. 

The importance of noting special instructions or markings on the 
message envelope, whether the message is paid or collect, and 
if collect, the amount. 

The importance of noting carefully the name of the addressee. 

How to address the person who answers the door. 

What to say if the person who answers the door is not the addressee. 

What persons are authorized, under ordinary circumstances, to 
receive messages for addressees. 

The importance of getting a signature for each message delivered, 
and of noting the time of delivery on the delivery sheet. 

What to do in case of a refusal to sign for a message. 

Why the messenger should not sign the delivery sheet for the ad¬ 
dressee. 

What to do in case of a refusal to pay the tolls on a collect message. 

Who may and who may not be told the name of the addressee of a 
message. 

Why the messenger should not tarry at an address, but proceed 
at once to the delivery of the next message. 

The law in regard to destroying a message, letter, or package en¬ 
trusted to the telegraph company. 

Delivery in care of hotels. 

To whom the messenger is supposed to deliver messages addressed 
in care of hotels. 

What the messenger should do when a message is marked “per¬ 
sonal. ’ ’ 

Why the messenger should pick up uncalled-for messages, unless 
the addressee is scheduled to arrive later. 

What the messenger should do when the addressee has left before 
the delivery of the message. 


34 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Delivery to postoffices. 

To whom the delivery should be made. 

At which window the delivery should be made. 

Why the telegraph company does not always make delivery through 
the postoffice, even when the message is so addressed. 

Why the telegraph company sometimes makes delivery through 
the postoffice, instead of in the ordinary way. 

Delivery in care of trains. 

Why the messenger should attempt to make personal delivery if 
there is time to pass through the train. 

To which train official delivery should be made if there is not suf¬ 
ficient time to pass through the train. 

How to proceed to find the conductor; how to recognize him. 

Why the conductor should sign for the message. 

What the messenger should do if he reaches the depot after the 
departure of the train. 

Getting an answer. 

What the messenger should say to the addressee when the notation on 
the envelope indicates that an answer is desired. 

Why the messenger should be ready to furnish message blank and 
pencil. 

What inquiries the messenger should make regarding tolls and classes 
of service desired. 

The data required by the company for the proper handling of a mess¬ 
age. How to mark this information upon the message blank. 

How to use a rate sheet in determining the tolls on a message which 
is to go prepaid. 

Why the messenger should be able to use a rate sheet. 

Why the messenger should ask for and note the telephone number of 
the person sending the answer. 

What the messenger should do if tlie addressee refuses to send the 
desired answer. 

Finding residence or office closed. 

What the messenger should do if he finds the residence or office of 
the addressee closed. 

The importance of the closed notice to the company and to the 
addressee. 

How to make out a closed notice. 

What to do in case two addresses or two addressees are named on the 
message. 


MESSENGER 


35 


Why messages should not be left under doors, or in mail boxes; why 
they should not be delivered to janitors, porters, or elevator opera¬ 
tors, except upon written authorization of the delivery clerk. 

Finding address wrong or no such number. 

What the messenger should do if there is no such number as that indi¬ 
cated in the address, or if the addressee is unknown at the address 
given. 

Why it is important to enquire for the addressee at nearby houses. 
The importance of doing this for the addressee even though it 
means a loss of time to the messenger. 

Why the messenger should telephone to the delivery clerk, before 
returning, and ask for a verification or correction of the address. 

How to use telephone directories, city directories, building directories, 
etc., in attempting to locate an addressee. 

When addressee has moved. 

What the messenger should do in case the addressee is no longer at 
the given address. 

Why the messenger should make delivery before returning if he finds 
that the addressee has moved to a nearby address, even though the 
address may be off his route. 

The frequent inconvenience to the sender and addressee, as well as 
the additional expense to the telegraph company, if the messenger 
fails to get the new address. 

Procedure in case of loss. 

The importance to the company, the sender, and the addressee, of 
making an immediate report in case a message, note, or package is 
lost. 

The great importance of guarding against losses while making delivery. 

The messenger call service. 

The nature and importance of the messenger call service (sometimes 
called the pick-up service or call circuit service) to the public and 
to the company. 

Why a regular patron is better than a chance patron. 

Why it is important that representatives of the telegraph company 
should make a good impression in business offices to which they are 
called to pick up messages. 

How the messenger should enter an office to which he is called, what 
he should say and do upon entering, and how he should leave. 


36 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


What the messenger should do when customers or others to whom he 
is called present messages on blanks of other companies. 

What the messenger should do if the messages are not in envelopes. 

Errand service. 

The great variety of services messengers are called upon to perform 
for officials and patrons of the company. 

How a courteous and willing messenger can make many friends for 
himself and for the company by prompt and efficient service. 

How the messenger should make the contact with the patron and 
with the person to whom he is sent. 

The kind of blank used by the messenger in this service and how it 
should be used. 

Making the report. 

What to do upon the return to the office after each delivery. 

Why the messenger should time the delivery sheet. 

The importance of making a complete report to the delivery clerk of 
all facts regarding the non-delivery of any message. 

What to do upon the return from pick-up or errand service. 

The importance of making an accurate accounting for money received 
from patrons. 

Classes of service. 

The nature and use of the various classes of telegraph and cable ser¬ 
vice. 

The other kinds of service rendered by the telegraph company. 

Why a messenger should be able to furnish information in regard to 
the various services of the company. 

Regulation of telegraph companies. 

The rules of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the State Rail¬ 
road Commission in regard to the handling of messages by tele¬ 
graph companies. 

Why messengers should be familiar with these rules. 

Giving additional service. 

How the messenger can help himself and his company in many ways 
by being alert to see opportunities for giving additional service. 

How a little thing, such as noticing and reporting that a patron has 
no clock in his office, or that he asks the time of day, may result 
in additional business for the telegraph company. 

The opportunities for transfer and promotion into other lines of busi¬ 
ness for messengers who make a good impression upon business 
men with whom they come in contact. 


MESSENGER 


37 


Routine blanks and forms. 

The advantages of a routine way of doing* things. 

What happens when a delivery sheet is lost or returned with a signa¬ 
ture missing. 

What happens when a message or any article entrusted to a messenger 
is lost. 

The use of the returned delivery sheet. 

The use of the blank form taken by the messenger on call service. 

Policies of the company. 

The policy of the company in regard to the performance of all services 
in which the messenger plays a part. 

Why it is the policy of the company to serve the public to the best of 
its ability. 

The dependence of the company upon its employees for carrying out 
its policies. 

The policy of the company in regard to the promotion of efficient 
messengers. What the opportunities are for promotion to other 
positions in the company. 

English. 

Simple rules for correct oral English, with special reference to the 
vocabulary of the telegraph business. 

Simple rules for correct written English, with special reference to 
correct, concise notations on message envelopes, delivery sheets, 
and closed notices. 

The importance of correct oral and written English both to the messen¬ 
ger and to the telegraph company. 

(Space left for additions .) 


38 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

For the messenger who is alert, intelligent, and willing to work, 
who is prompt, accurate, and courteous, there are many opportunities 
for advancement to positions of greater responsibility and better 
salary. Because of the comparatively rapid turnover of the messen¬ 
ger force, promotion is apt to come more quickly for a messenger than 
for other junior employees. 

Listed below are a few of the lines of promotion open to the tele¬ 
graph messenger. 


1 

One line of promotion 
From messenger to: 

(а) Call-circuit clerk. 

(б) Collect register clerk. 

(c) Delivery route clerk. 

( d ) Delivery supervisor. 

3 

Another line of promotion 
From messenger to: 

(a) Receiving clerk. 

(b) Money transfer clerk. 

(c) Money transfer agent. 


2 

Another line of promotion 
From messenger to: 

(a) Delivery clerk. 

( b ) Receiving clerk. 

(c) Bookkeeping clerk. 

( d ) Cashier. 

(e) Manager. 

4 

Another line of promotion 
From messenger to: 

(a) Morse operator (in small 

office). 

(b) Manager (in small office). 


5 

Another line of promotion 
From messenger to: 

(a) Morse operator (in small office). 

(b) More operator (in division office). 

(c) Unit supervisor. 

( d ) Assistant chief operator. 


6 

Another line of promotion (for girls) 

From messenger (in office building branches) to: 

(a) Telephone recorder. 

(b) Branch manager. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


39 


RECEIVING CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: branch or city offices. 

Length of learning period: learn while serving in some junior position 

in the commercial department. 

Special health risks: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or over (usually over twenty-one). 

Sex: male or female. 

Special skill or training: none, other than a knowledge of the work 
of the office. 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, and courtesy in dealing with 
public. 

Physical qualifications: must pass special physical examination 
prescribed for all employees except messengers. 

Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 

II. Duties 

When receiving telegrams from patrons. 

Ascertain the class of service desired, observing the following rules: 

If patron is not familiar with the various classes of service, explain 
the nature of the service and the difference in rates for day 
messages, night messages, day letters, and night letters. 

Acquaint patron with difference in time between various places in 
this country, or in foreign countries, to aid him in selecting 
the best and most economical class of service. (For example, 
if patron wishes to send a day letter to a firm in a distant city, 
when the difference in time would not permit delivery before 
closing hours, suggest to him the advisability of a night letter.) 

In all cases accept the patron’s deicsion as to class of service as 
final after making the suggestion to him. 

Observe the following rules in regard to the address: 

Request a full and complete address. 

If proper address cannot be furnished, endorse the message “ ac¬ 
cepted at sender’s risk,” and inform the sender of this action. 

When a message is to be called for at the office of destination 
instruct the sender that the proper address is “will call.” 

Do not accept a message addressed in care of the telegraph com¬ 
pany at destination unless the addressee is an employee of the 
company. 


40 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


If the message is an answer, and sender is unable to give a sufficient 
address, write in the address the words “an answer,” followed 
by the word “date,” or the date of the message answered, fol¬ 
lowed by the office call and the name of the city from which 
the answered message came, (e.g., John Jones, an answer six, 
Care MS, New York, N.Y., for an answer to John Jones’ mess¬ 
age of the sixth of the month from the M.S. office in New York.) 

If the sender is a colored person and the message is going to a point 
in one of the southern states, suggest to the sender that if the 
addressee be colored, the word ‘ ‘ colored ’ ’ should be added after 
the name of the addressee in order to facilitate the delivery of 
the message. 

If the sender requests the message delivered by telephone or not 
by telephone, record “telephone” or “don't telephone,” as the 
case may be, after the name of the addressee. 

If the message is addressed to a passenger on a train, see that the 
address contains the name of the railroad; the train number 
or name, or time due at place where message is to be delivered ; 
the section, if known and if the train runs in sections; the point 
for which the passenger is bound; that if possible the message 
be destined to a regularly scheduled intermediate stop. Notify 
the sender that there is no assurance of delivery if the message 
is destined to a terminal point. Do not accept the message 
“collect.” 

Notify the sender that “try hotels” is not a sufficient address to 
insure delivery if such words appear in the address, but accept 
the message. 

If message is addressed to a person on a rural free delivery route, 
ask the sender if delivery can be made by telephone and if so 
place the notation “telephone” in the address. If sender does 
not know whether delivery can be made by telephone or if he 
requests special messenger service, require him to pay or guar¬ 
antee delivery charges. 

If message is addressed to an officer or enlisted man at a post, 
station, 01 camp, see that, if possible, the address shows the 
branch of the service, the regiment, company, and rank of the 
addressee. 

Count and charge for words according to the following rules: 

Count and charge for all words in the address which are not neces- 
sary to enable the company to identify and locate the addressee. 

In alternative addresses count and charge for all words constitut¬ 
ing the alternative. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


41 


Do not count or charge for the telephone number if given in addi¬ 
tion to the street address. 

Count as one word the surname of any person (e.g. Van Metre). 

Count initials as one word each. 

Count proper names according to the number of words and initials 
which they contain. 

If sender insists on using a code signature count and charge for 
the signature and add the designation “sig. ctd.” to the check 
of the message. 

Count all signatures to government messages whether in code or 
in plain English but make no notation in the check. 

Count as one word each, irrespective of length, dictionary words 
taken from the English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Por¬ 
tuguese, Spanish, or Latin languages. 

If message contains combinations of dictionary words (firstclass) 
or of mutilated dictionary words (havyu) count and charge for 
them according to the number of words of which they are com¬ 
posed. Count as one word combinations found in the dictionary 
(carload). In all such cases indicate the count by an under¬ 
score, a vertical dividing line, and by placing the number of 

words under the underscore (car|lot, first|class, carload). 

2 2 l 

Count at the rate of one word for every five letters or fraction of 
five letters all groups of letters not dictionary words or com¬ 
binations of dictionary words. (-Amina, one word; fsddln, two 
words; sutemiloram, three words.) 


Count as one word each all figures, decimal points, punctuation 
marks, or bars of division. Call attention of sender to this rule 
and to the liability to error in transmission. If sender insists, 
count according to the rule, underscore the figures, indicate the 

(44 22) 

decimal point or punctuation by an arrow -—j— and indicate 
the count of the decimal point or punctuation in the check. 


If sender presents a message containing symbols (such as %, #, 

", ') request him to substitute the corresponding words if he 
wishes to insure correct transmission. If sender wishes symbols 
transmitted count them according to the words which they rep¬ 
resent. Db not accept for transmission accent marks or double 
dots. 

Count and charge for the words “deliver and report back,’’ “re¬ 
peat back,” “valued $80.00,” and similar instructions. 






42 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Count, but do not charge for the word “collect’’ in a message. 

Count the following as one word: 

(a) Western Union, day letter, night letter, parcel post, cannot, 

can't. 

(b) a.m., p.m., f.o.b., c.o.d., c.i.f., c.f.i, c.a.f., l.c.l., o.k., s.s. 

(c) Names of countries, states, territories, provinces, counties, 

cities, towns, and villages. 

Count the following as two words: New Year, can not. 

Count according to the number of words or initials composing 
them illegitimate combinations, such as bando for B. and 0., 
unless the sender can show that they are legitimate code words 
of his code. 

Do not count the words in “contract" or “dead-head” messages 
to “this line” points. 

Count the words in 1 ‘contract” or 1 ‘dead-head'' messages to 1 1 other 
line” points, unless the sender is entitled to send “contract” 
or “dead-head” messages over both lines on the same account. 

If sender presents a message destined to a point which shows an 
“other line” rate and free service or a lower rate to telephone 
subscribers, charge the “other line” rate, subject to refund, 
if sender does not know addressee to be a telephone subscriber. 

Observe the following rules in regard to the rate and the price: 

Learn the rates to important points in the state and outside the 
state for the various classes of service for ten-word messages 
and fifty-word letters. Price the message accordingly, adding 
proper charge for each additional word. 

If not sure of the rate to any point, look up the destination in the 
tariff book. Find the number opposite the name of the des¬ 
tination point, and whether it is a starred point. Look up the 
destination point on the “square sheet” showing the states in 
squares or blocks. If destination point has a number, apply 
the state rate. If destination point has one, two, three, or four 
stars, indicating special charges because it is an “other line” 
point, or a point off the telegraph line reached by messenger, 
by telephone, or by an off-line representative, add such charges 
to the state rate. 

Add the war tax to each message, figuring it five cents for charges 
not over fifty cents and ten cents for charges over fifty cents. 

Observe the following rules regarding the collection of tolls and other 
charges: 

Accept as “collect,” without the deposit of a guarantee, an answer 
to a prepaid message. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


43 


Accept as k ‘ collect, ’ ’ without the deposit of a guarantee, a message 
signed by a member of a social or commercial organization of 
recognized standing, or a message from any person of apparent 
responsibility. 

Require a deposit to cover the tolls only in case the message is 
tendered by an obviously irresponsible person, or under circum¬ 
stances offering definite reason to believe that the message will 
not be paid for either by the addressee or the sender. 

Accept “collect” message when “collect cards” are presented, 
permitting a message to be sent collect from any office of the 
company without guarantee. 

Observe the following rules in regard to franks, C.A.K. messages, 
D.H. messages, identification cards, and collect cards: 

Accept message offered under the above conditions if the evidence 
is clear that its transmission is authorized by the frank, the 
identification card, or the collect card, taking into account the 
person sending the message, the nature of the message, the class 
of service, the date of expiration of the card, and the author¬ 
izing signature on the card. 

Honor complimentary franks and directors’ franks for all classes 
of messages except cable messages. 

Do not honor business franks or identification cards for day letters, 
night letters, or cable messages, unless the card covers these 
classes of service. 

Accept C.A.K. without a frank messages from officers or agents 
of a railroad company with which the telegraph company has 
a contract.. 

Accept free the personal messages of employees of an urgent social 
or domestic character on the written approval of an officer of 
the telegraph company. 

When checking messages (marking on them the necessary data) 
observe the following rules: 

Indicate in the proper space the class of service if the sender has 
not done so. 

Place the receiving clerk's number in the proper space. 

Place in the proper space the time when the message was filed. 

Mark in the space for the check the number of words counted and 
charged for and whether the tolls are paid or collect. 

Indicate in the check after the word “collect” or “paid” any 
extra words which are counted. For example, check a ten-word 
message, with three extra words in the address, “13 paid 3 
extra” or “14 collect 3 extra.” 


44 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


When messages contain combinations or mutilations of dictionary 
words, or combinations of letters not dictionary words, give 
such messages a double check, indicating by the first figure the 
number of words counted, and by the second figure the number 
of words written by the sender. (“10/8 Paid;” “11/9 Col¬ 
lect.”) 

Indicate in the check all special instructions of the sender to repeat 
back, or deliver and report back, delivery guaranteed, or to have 
the message valued at more than fifty dollars. 

When contract or dead-head messages are to be sent, indicate in 
the check the arrangement under which they are filed for send¬ 
ing. 

When there are “other line” charges on a message, indicate both 
the “this line” and the “other line” charges separately in the 
check. 

Check a day letter, night message, or night letter according to the 
above rules, and in addition insert after the word “paid” or 
“collect” the designation “blue” for a day letter, “nite” for 
a night message, and “N.L.” for a night letter. 

Observe the following general rules: 

Give any aid or explanation necessary to enable the sender to pre¬ 
pare his message. 

Make no change in any message. If errors appear refer message 
to sender. If sender refuses to make corrections accept the 
message as originally submitted. 

Make indistinct words plain by marginal notations. 

Do not accept messages containing profane, obscene, or libelous 
language. 

Do not make any promise regarding the transmission or delivery 
of a message. 

Request and record the sender’s address and telephone number 
unless he is well known. 

If sender fails to sign his message call his attention to the omission. 
If he does not then sign it write in place of the signature “not 
signed,” unless it is a government message. 

If signature is in code, inform the sender that code signatures must 
be counted in figuring the charges. 

Accept, only upon payment or guarantee of an amount sufficient 
to cover the tolls and probable charges, special delivery mess¬ 
ages to points outside the free delivery limits of the terminal 
office, for which the delivery charge is not given in the tariff 
book. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


45 


When message is offered during interruption of lines inform the 
sender that the message can be accepted only subject to delay, 
for transmission as soon as the lines are restored. Write upon 
such message the notation “subject to delay. 7 ’ 

Stamp or write on each message the designation of the receiving 
office or branch, the date, and the designation of the receiving 
clerk. 

Forward the message immediately via the pneumatic tubes or take 
message to the operator for transmission. 

When receiving cablegrams. 

Give patron any assistance or instructions necessary in writing the 
message. 

Accept cablegrams to only those countries with which cable service is 
in operation. 

Accept cables in code language only in case of a full rate message. 

Accept deferred half-rate messages, cable letters, or week-end letters 
in the English language, the language of the country of destina¬ 
tion, or in French. 

Accept for mailing beyond London cable letters or week-end letters. 

Accept no cablegrams “collect.” 

Count and charge for all words in cablegrams, including address, body 
of message, and signature. 

See that each address contains at least two words. 

Place on the cablegram in the proper space the number of the cable¬ 
gram, the time filed, and the number of words. 

Forward the cablegram at once to the proper office for transmission. 

When receiving messages from messenger boys. 

Examine message to see that it is properly made out. 

Send messenger back or telephone to sender if message is not correct. 

Figure the charges and send messenger back for them, or send him 
back with change, if message is to be paid for by sender. 

If message is C.A.K. or collect, check it accordingly. 

When receiving requests to transmit money. 

Give the patron the proper application blank. 

Assist the patron in making out the application if necessary. 

Be sure that patron understands the meaning of “waiving identifica¬ 
tion” and requiring “personal identification.” 

If patron wishes to “waive identification” of payee, request him to 
sign the waiver on the application blank. 


46 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Place on the application blank the number of the application, the time 
filed, and the designation of the receiving clerk. 

Ascertain the transfer charges and the telegraph tolls to destination 
if a message is included with the money transfer, and figure the 
war tax. 

\ 

Place on the application blank the principal, the transfer charges, the 
telegraph tolls, the tax, and the total charges, including those for 
special valuation of the message or for having the message repeated 
back. 

Fill out and hand to the sender a receipt for the money received. 

See that the money transfer clerk gets the application promptly. 

When handling cash. 

When coming on duty receive cash from the cashier. 

Place cash in proper compartments in the cash drawer. 

Make change for patrons who pay in advance for transmitting mess¬ 
ages. 

Make a record on the cash sheet of each item of cash received. 

Balance the cash in the drawer with the total of the cash sheet, and 
turn cash and cash sheet over to cashier when going off duty. 

When delivering messages over the counter. 

Look up message in the files or telephone regarding it to delivery 
department. 

Write message number; charges, if a collect message; and time de¬ 
livered, on the delivery sheet. 

Have caller sign the delivery sheet. 

Place delivery sheets in proper drawer for the deliver}^ department. 

When payee calls for money. 

When payee inquires regarding a money transfer call the proper clerk 
or official to attend to the transaction, or direct the payee to the 
proper counter. 

{Note. —Counter clerks may receive application for money transfer 
from sender, but may not pay money to payee unless properly 
trained.) 

When rendering other services to patrons or callers. 

Call messengers for delivery service when requested by patrons. 

Listen to complaints of patrons regarding the service and assist them 
in settling the difficulty or refer them to the proper official. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


47 


Give patrons or callers at the office legitimate information as to such 
items as are listed below: 

(a) The geographical extent of the company’s service. 

(b) Connections with other lines. 

(c) Various classes of service, the cost of each to any point, 

and what each means. 

(d) Various classes of cable service. 

(e) Money transfers. 

(/) Messenger service. 

(g) Differences in time between local points and distant points 

in this or other countries. 

(h) Location of local streets, buildings, or firms. 

(i) Inquiries regarding expected messages. 

(j) Opening or closing time of branch offices. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge Arranged in Instructional Units 

Direct Value Units. 

The classes of telegrams. 

The different rates and the nature of the service rendered by the 
company on day messages, night messages, day letters, and 
night letters. 

The difference in time between various sections of the country, 
and between local and foreign points. 

The company’s rules regarding the various classes of service on 
telegrams. 

The address. 

What constitutes a full and complete address. 

When a message should be endorsed “accepted at sender's risk" 
on account of faulty address. 

The correct use of “will call” and “care of the company” in the 
address. 

How an answer to a telegram should be addressed when sender is 
unable to give sufficient address. 

The rule regarding messages addressed to colored persons at south¬ 
ern points. 


48 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


The rule covering the insertion of directions in the address in 
regard to telephoning message to addressee. 

The rules regarding messages addressed to passengers on trains. 

The rule regarding the notation “try hotels” in the address. 

The rules regarding the address in messages going to rural free 
delivery points. 

The rules regarding the address in messages destined to officers 
and enlisted men. 


Counting and charging for words. 

What words in an address are not necessary to enable the company 
to locate and identify the addressee. 

What constitutes an alternative address. 

How to count initials, proper names, and surnames. 

The rule in regard to counting and charging for code signatures. 

The rule regarding counting words in foreign languages. 

What foreign languages may be used in transmitting messages. 

The rules regarding combinations of dictionary words or mutila¬ 
tions of dictionary words, groups of letters not forming words, 
figures, decimal points, punctuation marks, symbols, and ille¬ 
gitimate combinations. 

The rules in regard to counting special instructions to the office 
of destination. 


Which names and abbreviations must be counted as one word, and 
which as two words. 

The rules in regard to counting “contract” and “dead-head” 
messages to “this line” and to “other line” points, to persons 
known to be telephone subscribers and to persons not known 
to be telephone subscribers. 

Rating and pricing. 

The difference in the rates for the different classes of telegrams. 

The rates to important local and distant points. 

How to use the tariff book and the rate sheets in determining the 
rates to this line’ and “other line” points, and to points 
not on a line. 


How to apply the rate in figuring the charges on a message. 

How to figure the war tax on a message. 

The collection of tolls. 

The rules covering the acceptance of messages to be sent collect. 
When it would be advisable to require the sender to prepay the 
tolls. 


The rule regarding the privileges of the holder of a “collect card,” 
or of an “identification card.” 


RECEIVING CLERK 


49 


Franks, C.A.K. messages, and D.H. messages. 

The different kinds of franks and the rules regarding their use. 

The rules in regard to accepting C.A.K. messages and employees’ 
messages. 

Collect cards and identification cards. 

The distinction between a collect card and an identification card. 

The privileges of the holder of either a collect card or an identi¬ 
fication card. 

Checking messages. 

Where to indicate the class of service. 

Where to insert the receiving clerk’s number. 

How and where to indicate the time of receiving message. 

How to check a paid message and a collect message. 

How to indicate in the check extra words counted in the address 
or signature. 

How to indicate special instructions in the check. 

How to check “contract” and “dead-head” messages. 

How to check messages containing combinations of dictionary 
words, of mutilated words, or of letters not forming dictionary 
words. 

How to check messages containing both “this line” and “other 
line” charges. 

The symbols used in checking day letters, night letters, and night 
messages. 

General rules. 

How to aid patrons in preparing messages. 

The rules in regard to errors and indistinct words in messages sub¬ 
mitted for transmission. 

The rule in regard to messages containing profane, obscene, or 
libelous language. What constitutes profane, obscene or libel¬ 
ous language. 

The rule in regard to making promises to patrons. 

The rules in regard to the sender’s signature and address. 

The rules in regard to accepting messages which require special 
delivery. 

The rule regarding the acceptance of messages during interrup¬ 
tion of lines. 

The rule regarding the stamped or written designation of the re- 

i 

ceiving clerk. 

How to operate the pneumatic tubes. 


50 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Cablegrams. 

How to assist and instruct patrons in writing cablegrams. 

The countries to which cable service is in operation. 

Under what conditions code language is permitted in cablegrams. 

The language in which full rate messages, deferred half rate mess¬ 
ages, cable letters, and week-end letters may be accepted. 

The rule in regard to accepting cable letters and week-end letters 
for mailing. 

The rule in regard to the prepa 3 T ment of tolls on cablegrams. 

How to count and charge for plain English words, code words, 
cipher words, and foreign words in the address, text, and sig¬ 
nature of a cablegram. 

What data to place upon the cablegram. 

What disposition to make of the cablegram after receiving and 
checking it. 

What constitutes an acceptable address on a cablegram. 

Receiving messages from messenger boys. 

What to do in case message is not properly made out. 

What to do in case sender has not sent charges by messenger, or 
has sent an insufficient amount or too large an amount. 

Money transfers. 

What to do first when a patron requests the company to transmit 
money. 

How to assist patrons in filling out the application. 

The difference between requiring personal identification of the 
payee and waiving identification of the payee, and the impor¬ 
tance of explaining this difference. 

The procedure in case the sender waives identification. 

The data to place upon the application blank in regard to number, 
time, and clerk. 

How to figure the charges on a money transfer, including or not 
including a message, and including the tax. 

What data the application blank must contain. 

How to make out a receipt for the sender. 

What disposition to make of the application. 

Handling cash. 

The importance of counting the cash received when coming on 
duty. 

How to arrange the cash conveniently and systematically in the 
cash drawer. 

How to make change and count it back to the payer. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


51 


How to keep the record of cash received. 

How to balance the cash against the record of cash received. 

Delivering messages over the counter. 

The system of filing messages to be called for. 

How to obtain from the files messages called for; what to do in 
case any message is not found in the files. 

What data the delivery sheet should contain regarding each mess¬ 
age. 

The rule regarding a signature for every message delivered. 

What disposition to make of the delivery sheets. 

Payee’s inquiries regarding money. 

What to do when payee calls regarding money expected. 

Who has the right to pay out money. 

Rendering other services to patrons and callers. 

How to get a messenger quickly. 

The importance of giving courteous attention to complaints of 
patrons and assisting them in settling difficulties. 

The geographic extent of the company’s service. 

The company’s connections with other lines. How to find infor¬ 
mation regarding such connections. 

How to explain the various classes of service. How to find or 
figure the charges for each. 

How to explain the various classes of cable service and find or 
figure the charges for each. 

The nature of the company’s money transfer service; how to ex¬ 
plain this service; and how to find or figure the charges. 

The nature of the company's messenger service. 

The difference in time between local points and distant or foreign 
points. 

The location of important streets, buildings, and firms. 

How to answer questions regarding expected messages. 

The opening and closing time of branch offices. 

Supplementtary TJnits. 

The classes of telegrams. 

Why a telegraph company has different classes of telegraph ser¬ 
vice and charges different rates for each class. 

The importance of knowing differences in time for different sec¬ 
tions of the country, and the relation of this knowledge to the 
different classes of telegraph service. 

Why the company has different rules and rates covering each 
class of service. 


52 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


The address. 

Why a telegraph company wishes every message to bear a com¬ 
plete address. 

Why a faulty address should be accepted at the sender’s risk 
and so endorsed. 

Why it is necessary to make a distinction between a ‘ ‘ will call ’ 
address and an address “in care of the company.’ 

Why it will be of assistance to designate a telegram as an answer 
to another of a particular date if the sender is not sure of the 
address of the sender of the telegram which he is answering. 

Why the word “colored” should be placed after the name of a 
colored addressee in the southern states. 

Why the address should sometimes contain instructions in regard 
to reaching the addressee by telephone. 

The great necessity for completeness in the address of telegrams 
to persons on trains. 

What the notation “try hotels” means from the standpoint of 
delivery expense; the possibilities of non-delivery of such mass¬ 
ages. 

Why special directions are often necessary in the address of mess¬ 
ages going to rural free delivery points. 

Why an especially detailed address is necessary in messages going 
to officers and enlisted men. 

Counting and charging for words. 

Why the company charges for extra words in the address of a 
message. 

Why the company charges for an alternative address. 

Why the counting of initials, proper names, and surnames must 
be governed by special rules. 

Why code signatures are counted and charged for. 

Why the counting of words in foreign languages must be governed 
by special rules. 

Why messages may not be accepted in all foreign languages. 

Why the counting of combinations of dictionary words or mutila¬ 
tions of dictionary words, of figures, decimal points, punctua¬ 
tion marks, symbols, and illegitimate combinations of letters 
must be governed by special rules. 

Why special instructions of the sender to the office of destination 
should be counted and charged for. 

Why some abbreviations and words are counted as one word and 
some as two. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


53 


Why special rules govern the counting of contract and dead-head 
messages to telephone subscribers and non-telephone sub¬ 
scribers. 

Rating and pricing. 

Why the company has different rates for different classes of tele¬ 
grams. 

The advantage of knowing the rates to important points. 

The necessity of being able to determine quickly the rate and price 
of a message with the help of the tariff book and rate sheet. 

The importance of rating and pricing a message correctly. 

The importance of including the war tax in the price of a message. 

The collection of tolls. 

Why caution is necessary in accepting collect messages. 

Why it is sometimes advisable to require the sender to pay or 
guarantee the tolls. 

Why the company issues “collect cards” and “identification 
cards. ’ ’ 

Franks, C.A.K. messages, and D.H. messages. 

Why the company accepts messages under frank, D.H., or C.A.K. 
Why there are different kinds of franks. 

Why it is necessary to have special rules to govern the use of 
franks, D.H. messages, and C.A.K. messages. 

Checking messages. 

Why the class of service must be indicated. 

Why the message should bear the number of the clerk receiving it. 

Why it is important to record on the message the time when it 
was received. 

Why a collect message and a paid message are checked differently. 

Why it is necessary to indicate in the check extra words counted 
in the address or signature. 

Why special instructions must be indicated in the check. 

Why the fact that a message is C.A.K. or D.H. should be indicated 
in the check. 

Why messages containing illegitimate combinations of words, let¬ 
ters, or symbols should have a double check. 

Why the check should show “other line” as well as “this line” 
charges. 

Why symbols are used to indicate the various classes of service. 


54 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


General rules. 

Why the counter clerk should aid patrons in preparing their mess¬ 
ages. 

Why the counter clerk should not assume the responsibility of 
correcting errors in messages. Why the counter clerk should 
make indistinct words clear by marginal notations. 

Why messages containing profane, obscene, or libelous language 
should not be accepted. 

Why the counter clerk should make no promises to patrons regard¬ 
ing the transmission or delivery of messages. 

Why it is of advantage to the company to have the signature and 
address of the sender of a message. 

Why the payment or guarantee of special delivery charges is neces¬ 
sary in certain cases. 

Why messages offered during interruption of lines should be 
accepted “ subject to delay. ” 

Why all messages should bear the designation of the office, the 
date, and the designation of the receiving clerk. 

Why all messages received should be forwarded or taken at once 
to the sending operators. 

Cablegrams. 

Why it is sometimes necessary to assist and instruct patrons in 
writing cablegrams. 

Why the cable service is in operation with only a limited number 
of countries. 

Why code language is accepted in only full rate messages. 

In which languages deferred half rate messages, cable letters, and 
week-end letters may be written, and why in no others. 

What advantage there is in using the mail service beyond London 
on cable letters and week-end letters. 

Why cablegrams should not be accepted collect. 

Why the address and signature as well as the text of a cablegram 
are counted and charged for. 

Why the address must consist of at least two words. 

Why the number of words, the time filed, and a serial number must 
be placed upon each cablegram. 

Why the cablegram should be forwarded for transmission as soon 
as received. 


RECEIVING CLERK 


DO 


Receiving* messages from messenger boys. 

The importance of sending a messenger boy back with the message 
if it is not properly made out. 

Why it is especially important that the money transaction be 
attended to carefully in the case of messages brought in by 
messenger bo vs. 

o «/ 

j 

Money transfers. 

Why requests to transmit money must be made by written appli¬ 
cation. 

The importance of having the application made out correctly and 
fully. 

The importance of having persons transmitting money understand 
the two methods of identifying the payee. 

Why it is necessary to have the sender sign the waiver if personal 
identification of the payee is not required. 

Why the application blank must be numbered and timed, and why 
it must bear the designation of the receiving clerk. 

The necessity for accuracy in figuring transfer charges and tele¬ 
graph tolls on money transfers. 

Why a receipt should be given the transferor. 

Why the receiving clerk should see that the money transfer clerk 
gets the application promptly. 

Handling cash. 

Why a single individual should have charge of the cash. 

The convenience of having the cash arranged in the cash drawer. 

The economy of time in following a certain procedure in taking 
a patron’s money, making the change, and counting it back. 

The importance of keeping a record of the amount of cash received 
for each paid message. 

Why it is necessary to balance the cash in the drawer against the 
cash as shown by the cash sheet. 

Delivering messages over the counter. 

The importance of getting a message out of the files quickly. Why 
messages often are not found in the files. 

Why a delivery sheet should contain data regarding the delivery 
of a message. 

Why the company should have a signature for ever}' message 
delivered. 

Why the company files and keeps the delivery sheets. 


56 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Regarding money transfers. 

Why the counter clerk should not assume the responsibility of 
paying out money. 

Rendering other services to patrons and callers. 

The importance of giving patrons quick messenger service. 

Why courteous treatment should be given those who make com¬ 
plaints about the service rendered by the company. 

The importance of being able to give information in regard to: 

The geographical extent of the company’s service. 

The connections with other lines where these are necessary. 
The difference in time between points in this country and 
between local and foreign points. 

The location of important streets, buildings, and firms. 

The opening and closing time of various branch offices. 

The various classes of service for messages. 

All other services rendered by the company, including 
money transfer, messenger, clock, ticker, etc. 

(Space left for additions.) 


TUBE AND COPY CLERK 


57 


TUBE AND COPY CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: delivery department of main and branch tele¬ 
graph offices. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over. 

Sex: usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: must be observant, neat, and careful. 
Physical qualifications: ability to pass the physical examination 
given b}^ the company. 

Educational qualifications: ability to pass the educational test 
given by the company. 

II. Duties 
As tube attendant. 

Receive messages coming to the delivery department through the 
pneumatic tubes from the traffic department, the service depart¬ 
ment, and the receiving department. 

Remove messages from the carriers and set the carriers aside in their 
proper places. 

Unfold and examine messages. 

Watch for errors in routing messages and re-route them, sending them 
out through the tubes to the proper destination. 

Pass all cablegrams, telephoned messages which are to be mailed, and 
all service communications, immediately to the route clerk. 
Number the collect messages and the paid messages, using a special 
numbering stamp for each. 

As copy clerk. 

Make water copies of the messages after numbering them. 

Pass the collect messages to the clerk handling the collect message 
register. 

Pass the paid messages to the route clerk. 

Smooth the wrinkles out of the water copies and file them alpha¬ 
betically as time permits. 

As relief clerk. 

Relieve the call circuit clerk, the collect register clerk, or the delivery 
route clerk. 


58 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

As tube attendant. 

Operating the tubes. 

Which are the receiving tubes and which the sending tubes. 

How to tell when a carrier has come in through the tubes. 

How to release the carrier from the tube. 

How to open the carrier and remove the contents. 

How to fold messages and insert them in the carrier. 

How to close the carrier and insert it in the tube. 

The location of the terminal points of each tube. 

The importance of careful handling of the tubes and carriers. 

Receiving messages through the tubes. 

How to interpret the check of a message, so as to determine 
whether the message is paid or collect. 

How to recognize cablegrams, telegrams, service messages, and 
interdepartmental communications. 

How to recognize a telephoned message which is to be mailed. 
What disposition to make of each class of communications received. 
Sufficient knowledge of the territory served by the delivery de¬ 
partment of each branch to detect incorrect routing. 

The importance to the company and to the addressee of being able 
to detect errors in the routing of messages for delivery. 

Which numbering stamp to use for collect messages, and which for 
paid messages. How to recognize the different numbering 
stamps. 

Why one stamp is used for collect messages and another for paid 
messages. The importance of using the correct stamp. 

Where to stamp the delivery number upon the message blank. 

As copy clerk. 

How to operate a copying press, either electrically or by hand. 
How to lay the tissue sheets upon the messages to be copied. 

How to fold the messages and tissue sheets together and insert them 
between the rolls of the copying press. 

How to unfold the messages after they have come through the press. 

How to lift the tissue sheets, without tearing them, and lay them 
aside for later handling. 

Why the telegraph company must have a copy of each message. 


TUBE AND COPY CLERK 


59 


How to smooth the wrinkles out of the tissue sheets. 

How to file the tissue sheets alphabetically, according to the system 
used in the office. 


Relief work. 

See Section III of the analyses of the work of the call circuit clerk, 
the collect register clerk, and the route clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The tube and copy clerk fills one of the minor positions in the 
Delivery Department of main offices and branch offices. There are 
several opportunities for promotion from this position. Two probable 
lines of promotion are shown below. 


1 

One line of promotion. 
From tube and copy clerk to: 
(a) Call circuit clerk. 

(5) Collect register clerk. 
( c ) Delivery route clerk. 


2 

Another line of promotion. 
From tube and copy clerk to: 

(a) Call circuit clerk. 

(5) Collect register clerk, 
(c) Receiving clerk. 


60 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


CALL CIRCUIT CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: delivery department of main telegraph offices 
and large branch offices. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Special hazards or health risks: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over, preferably eighteen. 

Sex: usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: must be observant, neat, and careful. 
Physical qualifications: ability to pass the physical examination 
given by the company. 

Educational qualifications: ability to pass the educational test 
given by the company. 

II. Duties 

In handling circuit calls. 

The pick-up service. 

As each call is registered in the box, tear off the ticket tape and 
note the number registered. 

Look up the number in the index to get the name and address of 
the person making the call. 

Enter on the messenger call register the number of the ticket, the 
name of the person sending in the call, the time of receiving the 
call, and the zone in which the person is located. 

Call a messenger, give him the name and address of the person, 
and enter his number on the messenger call register. 

When the messenger returns, enter in the register the time of his 
return and the number of messages brought in. 

Rate, price, and check the messages, and send them to the traffic 
department for transmission. 

Handling errand service requests. 

Receive calls over the telephone, at the desk, or through the tubes from 
officials, for messengers for errand service. 

Enter on the messenger call register the number of the messenger, the 
name of the person making the call, whether the call is collect or 
charge, or if received at the desk, whether paid or collect, the 
amount, and the zone. 


CALL CIRCUIT CLERK 


61 


Enter on the messenger call blank the date, the name of the person 
making the call, the place to which the messenger is to go, the 
charges, and whether paid or collect. 

Call a messenger, enter his number on the blank, hand him the blank, 
and tell him where to go. 

When the messenger returns, see that his blank has been properly 
signed, and that the amount of cash turned in is correct. 

Check the cash as shown on the messenger call register at the end of 
the day with the cash in the drawer and turn the amount over to 
the cashier. 

As relief clerk. 

Relieve the tube clerk, the collect register clerk, or the route clerk, as 
occasion demands. 

(For a detailed list of the duties see Part II of the analysis of the jobs 
in question.) 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

The call circuits. 

How to read the ticker tape markings by which calls are regis¬ 
tered. 

How to find the name and address of the person calling by look¬ 
ing up in the index the number corresponding to that printed 
on the tape. 

The extent and importance of the call circuit service to the com¬ 
pany. 

The importance of the call circuit service to the patrons of the 
company. 

The messenger call register. 

The data which should be entered on the messenger call register. 
How to get the necessary data. 

The importance to the accounting department and to the company 
of accurate and complete data on the messenger call register. 

The messenger call blank. 

The information which should be entered upon the messenger call 
blank. 


62 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


The importance of carefully checking the messenger call blank 
when the messenger returns. 

What happens when the information on the messenger call blank 
is incomplete or inaccurate. 

The message blank. 

The various classes of telegrams and cablegrams, and the rules 
governing the use of each. 

How to rate, price and check a message. (See pages 41 to 44 for 
details.) 

The importance to the accounting department and to the company 
of correct rating, pricing, and checking. 

Errand service requests. 

How to receive a request for errand service. 

What information should be secured from the person making the 
request. 

The importance of getting all the information needed for the 
proper performance of the service. 

How to speak distinctly over the telephone. 

Relief work. 

See Part III of the analyses of the jobs of tube clerk, collect regis¬ 
ter clerk, and route clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 
The following are suggestive of the lines of 


call circuit clerk. 

1 

One line of promotion. 
From call circuit clerk to: 

fa) Collect register clerk. 
(b) Delivery route clerk. 


promotion open to the 

2 

Another line of promotion. 
From call circuit clerk to: 

(a) Collect register clerk. 

(b) Receiving clerk. 


COLLECT REGISTER CLERK 


6 :] 


COLLECT REGISTER CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: delivery department of large telegraph offices. 
Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over, preferably at least eighteen. 

Sex: male or female, usuallv female. 

Previous skill or knowledge: knowledge of the city as to location 
of streets and. numbering system. 

Physical qualifications: pass physical examination. 

Educational qualifications: pass educational examination. 

II. Duties 

In handling the collect register. 

Receive collect messages from the tube clerk and remove the tissue 
copies. 

Enter on the “received collect register” the delivery number, the 
tolls, whether charge or cash, name of addressee, name of person 
to be charged if other than addressee, telephone number if tolls 
are to be charged to such number, and name of branch office 
making delivery. 

Enclose the message in a “charge" envelope and write the charges in 
the proper space. 

Make out a delivery sheet and call a messenger. 

Enter the number of the messenger upon the “received collect regis¬ 
ter” and upon the delivery sheet, and hand the message and de¬ 
livery sheet to the messenger. 

When messenger returns receive any cash collected, see that the 
delivery sheet has been properly signed, and enter the casli upon 
the received collect register. 

Pigeonhole the delivery sheets for the accounting department. 

Arrange and file alphabetically the copies of the messages. 

At the end of the day balance the cash received against the total of 
the cash items in the received collect register, and turn in the cash. 

Check the received collect register sheets of the various branch offices 
the first thing each morning, and turn them over to the accounting 
department. 


64 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


As relief clerk. 

Relieve the call circuit clerk, the tube clerk, or the route clerk, as 
occasion demands. 

(See Part II of the analyses of these jobs.) 

{Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

The received collect register. 

What data must be entered upon the received collect register sheets. 
Where or how to get this data. 

The importance to the company of accurate and complete infor¬ 
mation on the received collect register. 

How to check the received collect register sheets from the branch 
offices. 

The delivery sheet. 

The data required on the delivery sheet. 

The importance of the delivery sheet to the accounting department. 

Why the delivery sheets are numbered. 

What to do if a delivery sheet is lost. 

How to guard against alteration of the delivery sheet. 

The necessity for entering the messages on the delivery sheet in 
the order in which they are routed for the messenger. 

The form of a message. 

The different parts of a message. 

How to interpret the sending marks and the check of a message. 

The importance of special instructions in the check. 

Folding and inserting in envelope. 

How to fold messages and insert them in envelopes in such a way 
that the address shows through the window of the envelope. 

The reason for having one form of envelope for paid messages and 
another for collect messages. 

The importance of sealing every envelope containing a message. 

Route planning. 

The importance of planning the route so that the messenger can 
make delivery in the shortest time. 


COLLECT REGISTER CLERK 


65 


Knowledge of the location of streets. 

The system used in numbering the houses. 

The location of the principal buildings and important firms. 

How to use the city street map, city directory, and telephone 
directory. 

The fair distribution of work among messengers. 

Collect messages. 

How to mark the envelope containing a collect message. 

Ways of keeping an additional record of collect messages besides 
the record on the delivery sheet. 

The importance of carefully checking money turned in by messen¬ 
gers. 

Undelivered messages. 

The sources of information available for locating addressees. 

The importance of making ever}^ reasonable effort to locate and 
notify the addressees of undelivered messages. 

The routine to be followed if addressee cannot be located. What 
to do with the undelivered message. 

The procedure if addressee is located. Circumstances under which 
it would be inadvisable to forward or relay a message, as de¬ 
termined by the nature of the message. 

As relief clerk. 

See Section III of the analyses of the jobs of the call circuit clerk, 
the tube clerk, and the route clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The following are two lines of promotion open to the collect register 
clerk. 

1 - 2 

One line of promotion. Another line of promotion. 

From collect register clerk to: From collect register clerk to: 

(a) Delivery route clerk. (a) Receiving clerk. 

( h ) Assistant delivery super- (b) Money transfer clerk. 


visor. 


66 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


DELIVERY ROUTE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: delivery department of main offices and large 

branch offices. 

Length of learning period: learn while serving as messenger or tele¬ 
phone recorder. 

Special health risks: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: usually over twenty-one. 

Sex: male. 

Special skill or training: experience as messenger boy. 

Personal qualifications: reliability; ability to plan a route; some 
executive ability. 

Physical qualifications: must pass physical examination prescribed 
for all employees other than messengers. 

Educational qualifications: ability to read, write, and perform 
simple arithmetical calculations. 

II. Duties 

In regard to forms, blanks , and records. 

The delivery sheet. 

Prepare delivery sheets for all messages delivered by messenger, 
marking thereon message numbers, charges if any, whether 
answer is required, number of the messenger making deliverv, 
time of departure of messenger, and zone in which delivery is 
to be made. 

Arrange these in order when turned in by messengers for sendim? 
to accounting department. 

If a delivery sheet is lost report the matter to the accounting de¬ 
partment. 

The messenger record blank. 

Keep a record of the work of each messenger, using a separate 
blank for each messenger and for each day’s work. 

The messenger force sheet. 

Make up daily from the messenger record blanks the messenger 
force sheet, showing in itemized form the total amount of work 
done by the messenger force for the day. 

Turn this sheet over to the delivery supervisor. 


DELIVERY ROUTE CLERK 


67 


In regard to the supervision of messengers. 

Maintaining order. 

Maintain, as tactfully as possible, reasonably good order among 
messengers waiting their tnrn to make delivery. 

Assisting messengers. 

Advise and assist messengers when difficulties arise in delivering 
messages or in locating addressees. 

See that messengers are provided with message blanks, delivery 
notices, rate sheets, pencils, etc. 

Recommending appointment. 

Interview and test applicants for the position of messenger. 

Recommend or refuse to recommend applicants for appointment. 

Recommending dismissal. 

Recommend for dismissal any messenger not giving satisfactory 
service. 

In regard to telegrams and cablegrams. 

Classes of service. 

Answer inquiries regarding the various classes of telegrams and 
cablegrams and the rules regarding their delivery. 

The form of a message. 

Answer inquiries regarding the different parts of a message and 
how to interpret the sending marks and the instructions in the 
check of a message. 

In regard to preparation for delivery. 

Folding and inserting in envelopes. 

Fold message properly and insert it in the envelope in such a way 
that the address will show through the window of the envelope. 

Use the “paid” envelope for all paid messages, and the “charge” 
envelope for all messages on which tolls are to be collected. 

Seal each envelope after inserting the message. 

Route planning. 

Arrange the envelopes in order for delivery by the shortest route. 

Observe the regulations in regard to sending messengers to places 
which they are forbidden by law to enter. 

Delivery sheets. 

«/ 

Enter the messages on the delivery sheet in the order of delivery, 
and time the delivery sheet. 

Call the messenger whose turn it is, enter his number upon the 
delivery sheet, and hand the sheet and the corresponding mess¬ 
ages to him. 


68 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


In regard to collect messages. 

Mark on the envelope the word “collect" followed by the amount 
to be collected. 

Make note on a slip of paper of the number of the message, the amount 
to be collected, and the messenger’s number. 

Check the money returned by the messenger against these slips and 
then destroy the slips. 

In regard to refusals to pay tolls. 

If addressee of a collect message or of one upon which delivery charges 
. have been guaranteed refuses to pay the colls, instruct the messen¬ 
ger to deliver the message nevertheless. 

Notify the sending office of the facts by post card (by service message 
to points in Mexico), stating the amount to be collected in case of 
a “special delivery” message. 

If collect message is an answer to one sent C.A.K. or D.H., charge the 
tolls to the addressee’s frank. 

If, after the refusal to pay, the tolls are later collected, notify the send¬ 
ing office by mail. 

If the message itself is undelivered, notify the sending office by service 
message. 

In regard to messages to addressee on a rural free delivery line. 

If telephonic delivery has been found impracticable and special de¬ 
livery charges have been paid or guaranteed, send out the message 
by special delivery at once. 

If special delivery charges have not been paid or guaranteed, mail 
the message for rural free delivery at once. If message is of such 
a character that mailing would defeat its purpose, send a service 
message to the office of origin for prepayment or guarantee of 
special delivery charges. If sending office is unable to collect, or 
if reply is not received at once, mail the message. If special de¬ 
livery is made subsequently, write “duplicate” across the face of 
the copy subsequently delivered. 

In regard to “special delivery ” messages. 

Report to the sending office by post card the actual special delivery 
charges on messages, the charges on which have been prepaid or 
guaranteed. 

When delivery has been effected without expense or at a less expense 
than the amount prepaid, notify the sending office by post card. 


DELIVERY ROUTE CLERK 


69 


When special delivery is necessary and the charges have not been pre¬ 
paid or guaranteed, send a service message to the sending office 
for a guarantee. If sending office is unable to collect or if reply 
is not received at once, mail the message to the addressee. Write 
“duplicate’’ across the face of another copy subsequently de¬ 
livered. 


In regard to messages in care of hotels. 

When messages are addressed “try hotels,” endeavor to locate ad¬ 
dressee by telephone before attempting delivery by messenger. 

When messages are addressed in care of specific hotels instruct 
messengers to deliver the messages to the clerk at the particular 
hotel, unless guest has left the hotel. 

Instruct messenger to inquire for and bring back uncalled-for mess¬ 
ages unless addressee is scheduled to arrive later. 

In regard to undelivered messages. 

Consult the city directory, telephone directory, or employ any other 
available means to locate the addressee of an undelivered message. 
Mail a post card to the addressee and notify the sending office by 
service message of the fact. 

In case of messages addressed to hotels, forward the message “collect” 
if whereabouts of addressee can be ascertained, unless character 
of the message indicates that forwarding would serve no useful 
purpose. 

In case of messages addressed to passengers on trains, relay the mess¬ 
age prepaid and notify sending office by service message. 

File all undelivered messages together with the respective envelopes 
for future reference, and notify sending office by service message 
if undelivered message is of an urgent nature; otherwise make noti¬ 
fication by post card. 

In regard to special cases. 

Lay aside the copy of the message until the required service has been 
performed. 

When the required service has been performed, such as “reporting 
delivery,” file the copy of the message. 

When the words “an answer” appear in the address, refer to the 
original message to which it is an answer for the address. 

When request is made to “report delivery” respond to the request by 
a collect message addressed to the sender of the original message, 
stating the time of delivery, or if not delivered, the reason. 


70 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


In regard to errors in messages. 

Take steps to secure a correct copy by service message. 

If correction can be secured quickly, hold the message; if not, deliver 
the message with the words “delivered subject to correction” en¬ 
dorsed upon it. 

When correct copy is received endorse it “corrected copy,” and 
deliver it. 

If no error is found, send a notice to the addressee to that effect. 

In regard to relief work. 

Relieve or assist the counter clerk, tube attendant, call circuit clerk, 
or telephone recorder in case of necessity. 

In regard to f urthering the interests of the company. 

Be always on the alert to render the very best service to patrons. 

Be always on the alert to protect and further the interests of the 
company at all times and under all circumstances. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
Forms, blanks, and records. 

The delivery sheet. 

The data required on the delivery sheet. 

The importance of the delivery sheet to the accounting department. 
Why the deliver}" sheets are numbered. 

What to do if a delivery sheet is lost. 

How to guard against alteration of the delivery sheet. 

The necessity for entering the messages on the delivery sheet in 
the order in which they are to be routed for the messenger. 
The messenger record blank. 

The data required on the messenger record blank. 

The importance of this blank to the accounting department. 

What to do with the blanks at the end of each day. 

Why such a record is necessary; the importance of having accurate 
information on the messenger record blank. 

The messenger force sheet. 

The data required on the messenger force sheet. 

The use made of this record in the accounting department. 

How and when to make up this record. 


DELIVERY ROUTE CLERK 


71 


Supervision of messengers. 

Maintaining order. 

How to maintain tactfully reasonable order among messengers 
awaiting their turn to deliver messages. 

The importance of courtesy, firmness, and tact in handling mess¬ 
engers. 

Assisting messengers. 

How to make messengers feel the necessity of making the maximum 
effort to find addressees. 

What sources are available for information regarding local ad¬ 
dressees. How to use these sources of information. 

Recommending appointment of messengers. 

How to interview applicants for the position of messenger. 

What points to notice while asking questions. 

The minimum qualifications for a messenger. 

The many reasons why the telegraph company needs well qualified 
messengers. 

The procedure to be followed in recommending the appointment 
of a messenger. 

Recommending dismissal of messengers. 

What constitutes minor infractions of rules or neglect of duties. 

What constitutes major infractions of rules or neglect of duties. 

When a number of minor infractions of duty constitutes ground 
for recommending dismissal. 


Telegrams and cablegrams. 

Classes of service. 

What the various classes of telegrams and cablegrams are. 

The rules regarding the delivery of the various classes of telegrams 
and cablegrams. 

What to do with day letters, night letters, and cablegrams. 

The importance of prompt handling of straight messages. 

Why the route clerk must read all messages to be delivered. 

The form of a message. 

The different parts of a message. 

How to interpret the sending marks and the check of a message. 
The importance of special instructions in the check. 


72 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Preparation for delivery. 

Folding and inserting in envelopes. 

How to fold messages and insert them in envelopes in such a way 
that the address shows through the window of the envelope. 
The reason for having one form of envelope for paid messages and 
another for collect messages. 

The importance of sealing every envelope containing a message. 
Route planning. 

The importance of planning the route in such a wa^ that the 
messenger can make delivery in the shortest space of time. 
Knowledge of the location of streets. 

The system used in numbering the houses. 

The location of the principal buildings and important firms. 

How to make use of the city street map, city directory, and tele¬ 
phone directory. 

The fair distribution of work among messengers. 

The delivery sheet. 

See above, under ‘ ‘ forms, blanks, and records. ’ ’ 

Collect messages. 

How to mark the envelope containing a collect message. 

Ways of keeping an additional record of collect messages besides the 
record on the delivery sheet. 

1 he importance of checking carefully money turned in by messengers. 


Ref usals to pay tolls. 

Why messenger should deliver a message to an addressee who refuses 
to pay tolls. 

The routine to be followed in notifying the sending office of a refusal 
to pay tolls. 

When this notification should be by service wire and when by mail. 

Messages in care of postoffice. 

Why messages are sometimes addressed for delivery through the post- 
office. 

Why the route clerk should know the approximate time for distribut¬ 
ing the mail in the postoffice or to the mail carriers. 

The circumstances under which delivery in care of the postoffice 
might defeat the purpose of the message. 

What the route clerk should do when delivery through the postoffice 
seems inadvisable. 


DELIVERY ROUTE CLERK 


73 


Messages to address on a rural free delivery line. 

Why telephonic delivery should be attempted. 

What to do if telephonic delivery is impracticable and charges have 
not been paid or guaranteed. 

Circumstances under which mailing might defeat the purpose of a 
message. 

Circumstances under which a message should be mailed. 

“Special delivery” messages. 

The routine to be followed in reporting to the sending office when 
charges have been prepaid or guaranteed. 

What to do if charges have not been prepaid or guaranteed and special 
delivery is found to be necessary. 

When to resort to delivery by mail. 

Messages in care of hotels. 

Why it is advisable to endeavor to locate the addressee by telephone 
before attempting delivery by messenger. 

The importance of having uncalled-for messages collected at regular 
intervals and brought back to the telegraph office. 

Undelivered messages. 

The sources of information available for locating addressees. 

The importance of making every reasonable effort to locate and notify 
the addressees of Undelivered messages. 

The routine to be followed if addressee cannot be located. What to 
do with the undelivered message. 

The procedure if addressee is located. Circumstances under which it 
would be inadvisable to forward or relay a message, as deter¬ 
mined by the nature of the message. 

Special cases. 

How to find the address when the words “an answer” appear in the 
address. 

The procedure when a request is made to ‘ ‘ report delivery. ’ ’ 

Errors in messages. 

The procedure when errors appear to have been made in messages. 

The responsibility of the delivery route clerk in detecting errors and 
protecting the interests of the company and its patrons. 


74 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


MAIL BUREAU CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: central mailing bureau. 

Length of learning period: brief. 

Special hazards: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over. 

Sex: male. 

Previous skill or training: none, except that gained on the job. 
Personal qualifications: alertness, accuracy, and neatness. 
Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade. 

t 

II. Duties 

In case of incoming mail. 

Receive incoming company mail in bundles or express packages, and 
sort letters according to department of destination. 

Open and sort incoming business letters (except “personal”) accord¬ 
ing to department of destination. 

Distribute all such mail, together with unopened personal letters, to 
the proper offices. 

In case of outgoing mail. 

Call at various departments at specified hours and receive the out¬ 
going mail matter. 

Sort all outgoing company mail according to offices of destination, 
into various classes for mailing, as directed. 

Arrange and pack this sorted mail into proper packages of convenient 
size, and bind up, or seal carefully, according to classification. 
Weigh the packages, figure the rate, and affix proper postage, accord¬ 
ing to class of mail matter. 

See that address is correctly affixed on each package. 

Fold, enclose in envelopes, seal and stamp outgoing letters addressed 
to individuals. 

Fold, enclose and stamp circulars and other miscellaneous matter. 

See that all outgoing mail is delivered to collection box at proper 
hours. 

Assist file clerks in office whenever necessary, and perform various 
office boy duties for commercial department officials as required. 


MAIL BUREAU CLERK 


75 


\ 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The company. 

The name and location in the building* of all departments, and the 
personnel of each office. 

The names and addresses of the various other division and district 
offices, and of the more important branch offices of the local 
division, and their official personnel. 

Postal and express regulations. 

The rules as to proper wrapping, packing, or sealing of each class 
of mail matter, both regular and parcel post, the maximum size 
and weight of package allowed, position of address, “return,” 
postage, etc. 

The importance of proper wrapping, packing, sealing, and weigh¬ 
ing. 

The rates for each class of regular mail, the parcel post zoning 
rules, and how to secure information from general postal rule 
books. 

The use of scales, and the method of computing both postal and 
express rates, from the weight and destination of the package. 

The procedure to be followed in registering or insuring mail mat¬ 
ter, or sending by special delivery. 

Arithmetic. 

Accuracy in addition and multiplication, in computing regular 
postage rates and counting stamps. 

The use of tables or calculators in computing parcel post rates. 

Care in noting scale readings. 

The importance of accuracy in figuring postal or express charges. 
Sorting. 

How to sort letters, documents, and other papers according to the 
office of destination. 

The importance of great care in the sorting work, so that no letters 
will be delayed by being enclosed in the wrong package. 

The reasons for classifying letters in certain groups, and the sig¬ 
nificance of using various classes of postal and express service 
in forwarding. 

IV. Promotional Possibilities 

With the mail bureau clerk, as with the office boy, promotion may 
be along* any one of a large number of lines, depending upon the 
aptitude of the particular worker and the vacancies which may occur. 
The mail bureau clerk is in the office of the general manager and 
therefore his promotion may be into any one of the four departments 
of the company. 


76 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


THE TRANSMISSION OF MESSAGES 

When the receiving clerk in the Commercial Department has 
checked and timed a message, she places it in a carrier which she 
inserts in a conveniently located pneumatic tube. Through this tube 
the message is conveyed in a few seconds to the Central Distributing 
Center of the Traffic Department. Here a tube attendant removes the 
message from the carrier, and places it upon a belt which carries it 
quickly to a table at which are seated a number of route clerks. One 
of these route clerks slips the message off the belt onto the table and 
notes its destination and classification. If the message is going to a 
place served by automatic telegraph, the route clerk places upon the 
blank the initial of its city of destination or of the place through which 
it must be relayed to its destination. If the message is going to a 
place served by Morse telegraph, the route clerk places upon the blank 
the number of the table at which the operator sits who serves the 
wire to that place. This routing operation takes only a few seconds, 
and the message is then placed upon the belt which carries it to the 
part of the operating room in which the operators sit who serve the 
wires to the place of destination of the message. 

When the message drops from the belt on a table in the proper 
place in the operating room, a route aid picks it up, notes its classi¬ 
fication, destination, and whether it is to go by automatic or Morse 
telegraph, and places it in the proper rack. A distributing clerk picks 
it up and carries it at once to a certain sending operator, placing it 
under an automatic timing stamp. In a few minutes it is being sent 
over the wire to its destination. 

As an operator receives a message coming to the local city, she 
immediately places it upon a belt on which it is carried to the Central 
Distributing Center. The route clerk who receives the message in 
the Central Distributing Center notes the name and address and the 
character of the message. She decides whether the message may be 
telephoned out, or through which of the many branch offices it should 
be delivered. If it is to be telephoned, she places it upon the “tele¬ 
phone” belt which carries it to the telephone operators. If it is to 
be delivered, she places upon the blank the initials of the branch 
office and sends it over a belt to a tube attendant. The tube attendant 
notes the branch office initial, selects the carrier having the proper 
color combination, inserts the message, and sends it out through the 
pneumatic tubes to the branch office for delivery. 

When a route clerk in the Central Distributing Center places a 
message upon the “telephone” belt it drops in a few seconds upon a 


The multiplex distributor is sending and receiving eight messages at the same time over one wire 
between San Francisco and Denver. The wire carries eight words every second. 


TRANSMISSION OF MESSAGES 


77 




78 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


table in the Telephone Bureau. Here a telephone aid picks it up, 
notes the name and address, and determines to which telephone oper¬ 
ator it should be taken. If it is to be handled by one of the operators 
at the public board, the operator immediately calls up the addressee 
and reads the message to him. If it is to be telephoned to a branch 
office of the telegraph company, one of the branch operators reads it 
in code to the operator in the branch office, who takes it down on the 
typewriter. 

When a person desires to telephone a message to the telegraph 
company for transmission a public recording operator answers the 
telephone and types the message. She then places the message upon 
the belt which conveys it to the Central Distributing Center. From 
there it is sent at once to a telegraph operator for transmission. 

In the transmission of many thousands of messages every day it is 
inevitable that difficulties should arise because of faulty address, in- 
ability to find the addressee, misunderstood messages, etc. To take 
care of these and similar matters, there is a branch of the Traffic De¬ 
partment called the Service Department. A sequence clerk from the 
Service Department goes at frequent intervals to the operating room 
and picks up the messages which have been sent by the telegraph 
operators. These she brings to the Service Department, A record is 
made of the business to certain large offices. The telegrams are then 
separated into classes, examined, stamped, and filed for a period of 
forty-eight hours. When an inquiry comes in regarding any of these 
telegrams it is sent to the Service Department. A searcher file clerk 
takes the inquiry from the belt, looks up the message referred to, and 
takes the communication and the message to a service clerk. The 
service clerk writes a service telegram regarding the matter and for¬ 
wards it on the belt to the operating room, where it proceeds through 
the regular channels to the telegraph operators. After forty-eight 
hours the telegrams temporarily filed in the Service Department are 
taken to the Bookkeeping Department for permanent filing. 

The work described above gives rise to the Traffic Department 
organization, as outlined on page 13 of this bulletin. Analyses of 
the junior positions of Tube Attendant, Route Aid, Route Clerk, 
Distributor, Automatic Operator, File and Copy Clerk, Telephone 
Recorder, Sequence Clerk, File Clerk, and Searcher File Clerk, and 
of the higher positions of Morse Operator, Route Supervisor, Service 
Clerk, Statistical ( lerk, ( laim Clerk, and Timekeeper, as illustrative 
of those to which juniors may be promoted, will be found on the 
following pages. 


TUBE ATTENDANT 


79 


TUBE ATTENDANT 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: in telegraph offices, where tube system is in¬ 
stalled. 

Length of learning period: very brief—a few T hours. 

Special hazards: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over, older for night work. 

Sex: male or female; male for night work. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: neatness, carefulness, attentiveness. 
Physical qualifications: pass physical examination. 

Educational qualifications: seventh grade or higher. 


II. Duties 

In handling incoming messages. 

Receive messages in carriers from branch offices via pneumatic tube 
system. 

Remove messages from carriers. 

Time the messages with automatic timing stamp. 

Send the messages via the belt to the route clerks. 

Send empty carriers on belt to clerk handling outgoing messages. 

Relieve the clerk who is sending. 

In handling outgoing messages. 

As carriers come from clerk handling incoming messages, arrange 
them by color in boxes near compartments in which outgoing 
messages are placed. 

Pick up messages coming over belt. 

Observe penciled initials or numbers on message, to determine branch 
office, or official to whom message should be sent. 

Fold properly for inserting in carrier. 

Select proper carrier, insert message, close carrier, and send through 
proper tube to branch office, or official, as indicated by the initials. 

If messages come over belt too rapidly for immediate sending, assort 
them into racks bearing initials of branch offices, or officials. 


80 


ANALYSES OP POSITIONS 


When the run of messages over the belt is slower, send out the accumu¬ 
lated messages. 

While sending, observe initials and address of messages to see that 
route clerks have not included messages for other than local dis¬ 
tribution. 

If such errors in routing are found, place messages on proper belt, or 
refer them to the supervisor. 

Relieve the clerk who is receiving; relieve route clerk. 

When changing to relief work, take time card from rack, have super¬ 
visor indicate time of leaving regular duties, and when return¬ 
ing, hand card back to supervisor for indicating time of return to 
regular duties. 

(Space left for additions.) 


Other duties. 

Send “test carrier” through each tube every ten minutes. 

If “test carrier” is not immediately returned, notify supervisor who 
will trace the carrier by phone. 

When the “test carrier” is returned, place it beside the proper tube. 

Send “good morning” and “good night” message blank through tube 
to each branch office. 

When blank is returned with time of opening and closing inserted, 
check it against list of offices with opening and closing hours and 
hand it to supervisor. 

Do errand work for supervisor as requested. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The tube system. 

How to remove incoming box carriers from the pneumatic tubes. 
How to place outgoing box carriers in the pneumatic tubes. 


TUBE ATTENDANT 


81 


How to insert message blanks in the carriers and remove them 
from the carriers. 

The importance of care in placing messages in the carriers and in 
removing them from the carriers. 

The importance of inserting the correct end of the carrier in the 
tube. 

The branch offices having tube service, and how to identify the 
carrier and tube serving each branch office. 

The message blank. 

How to fold a message blank properly for inserting in the carrier. 

The routing marks on the messages and their meaning, so as to be 
able to send messages to proper destinations. 

The branch offices. 

The names of the branch offices, and their designations (e.g. VN 
for Van Ness). 

The territory served by each branch office. 

The importance of comparing the address with the routing so as 
to detect errors made by the route clerks. 

The test carriers. 

The procedure in sending and receiving test carriers. 

The reasons for sending test carriers through the tubes. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The tube attendant occupies one of the entering positions in tele- 
graph offices where the tube system is installed. From this position 
there are various opportunities for promotion, two of which are listed 
below. 

1 2 


One line of promotion. 

From tube attendant to: 

(a) Route aid. 

( b ) Distributor. 

(c) Route clerk. 

( d ) Route supervisor. 


Another line of promotion. 

From tube attendant to: 

(a) Route aid. 

(b) Distributor. 

(c) Statistical clerk. 


82 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 



WESTERN UNION OFFICE, SAN FRANCISCO 

The central point of the pneumatic belt system. Eight thousand messages an hour 
pass this point. 











ROUTE CLERK 


83 


ROUTE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: division, district, or relay offices. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over. 

Sex: male or female. 

Previous skill or training: route clerks are experienced route dis¬ 
tributors. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory. 

Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: Seventh grade or higher. 

II. Duties 

In handling messages for outside towns. 

Receive messages as they come over the belt from the tube clerks, or 
in case of relayed messages, from the operators. 

Observe the destination and character of each message. 

If message is to be sent via the automatic telegraph, place in the upper 
right hand corner the initials of the city to which it is to be sent 
directly, or through which it is to be relayed to destination. 

If message is to be sent via the Morse telegraph, place in the upper 
right hand corner the number of the table on which the wire is 
located which serves the city to which it is to be sent directly, or 
through which it is to be relayed to destination. (This is called 
routing the message.) 

If in doubt as to the routing, refer to card index showing initial or 
number for each town. 

If unable to determine the routing by reference to the index, hand 
the message to the supervisor. 

After routing the message, place it on the proper belt for sending to 
the distributor. 

In handling messages for looal delivery. 

If message is for a private individual, or for a firm which requests 
telephone delivery, look up the phone number of the addressee in 
the directory, place the number upon the message and send the 
message over the “telephone’ 7 belt, unless it is a message of con¬ 
dolence or death, or for any other reason is not to be telephoned. 


84 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


If addressee has no telephone number, place a check mark upon the 
message and send it on the belt to the proper branch for delivery. 

If message is for a local firm, indicate with pencil in upper right hand 
corner the branch office through which it is to be distributed. 

In case of doubt as to branch office to which message is to be sent, 
refer to card index for information. (The local card index shows 
the names of firms, their street address, the branch office which 
should deliver messages to them, and instructions for disposition 
of messages coming in after hours. The card index for outside 
towns shows for each town the point through which messages to 
it are to be relayed, also whether it is served by automatic or 
Morse.) 

Place upon the message the initial which indicates the branch office 
to which it is to be sent for delivery. 

Send the message over the belt to the tube clerk who is sending mess¬ 
ages to offices served by tubes, or on telephone belt if message goes 
to an outlying branch. 

In case message is for an official, send over belt to tube clerk who is 
sending messages, or on telephone belt if official is not on tube 

system. 

*/ 

Perform the following occasional duties: 

Relieve tube clerks, distributors, or route aids. 

Do errand work for supervisor as requested. 

When changing to relief work, take time card from rack, have 
supervisor indicate time of leaving regular duties, and when 
returning, hand card back to supervisor for indicating time 
of return to regular duties. 

When changes of address of local firms or changes in routing out¬ 
side messages are sent in, memorize such changes immediately 
and sign a card showing responsibility for subsequent routing 
of messages. 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The branch offices. 

The names of the branch offices and their designations (e.g., VN, 
Van Ness). 

The territory served by each branch office. 

The opening and closing hours of each branch office. 


ROUTE CLERK 


85 


The routing of messages for transmission. 

The cities served by Morse circuits. 

The cities served by the automatic circuits. 

The cities served by both the automatic and the Morse circuits. 

The relay points to which messages are routed for various locali¬ 
ties. 

The location and number designation of the tables at which the 
operators sit who serve each town. 

How to use the index when in doubt as to the routing of messages. 

Which distributing belts serve the various tables at which the 
wires for each city are located. 

How and where to indicate the routing on the message blank. 

The difference in the method of indicating the routing on mess¬ 
ages for automatic and for Morse transmission. 

The routing of messages for local delivery. 

Which messages should be routed to the Telephone Department. 

Which messages should not be routed to the Telephone Depart¬ 
ment. 

Which messages should be routed to the Service Department. 

Which messages should be routed to the Delivery Department. 

Which messages should be routed to each individual branch office 
as indicated by the address. 

How and where to indicate the routing on the message blank. 

How to use the index for finding the addresses of firms in the city. 

How to use the telephone directory in routing messages to the 
Telephone Department. 

The importance of careful routing of messages. 

The value to the company of a careful route clerk. 

The distribution of messages. 

See Part III of the analysis of the Route Distributor. 

{Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

Practically the only promotion possible for the route clerk is to the 
position of route supervisor. She could, however, at a temporary 
sacrifice of part of her salary, enter the operators’ school and become 

an automatic operator. 


86 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


ROUTE AID 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: traffic department of division, district, or relay 

offices. 

Length of learning period : a few days. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age : sixteen or over. 

Sex: male or female, usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory. 

Physical qualifications: ability to pass the physical examination 
given by the company. 

Educational qualifications: ability to pass the educational and 
mental test given by the company. 

II. Duties 

Sort messages as follows: 

Receive messages through the drop from the distributing belt on 
which they have been placed by the route clerks. 

Separate the messages for the automatic operators from those for 
the Morse operators. 

Place the messages for the automatic operators in racks according 
to destination, as indicated by the initials written on the blank 
by the route clerk. 

Place the messages for the Morse operators in racks according to 
the numbers written on the blanks by the route clerk. 

Distribute the messages for the Morse operators as follows: 

Take the messages from a rack bearing a certain number and pro¬ 
ceed with them to the Morse operators at the table bearing the 
corresponding number. 

Place the messages on the hooks beside each operator. 

When distributing messages to “overland” or independent-way 
operators, place the day messages, day letters, and night letters 
each on a separate hook. 

When distributing messages to operators at the railroad way, unless 
unit is specially marked, place all messages on one hook, day 
messages on top, day letters next, and night letters on the 
bottom. 

Observe the routing and the destination of messages while dis¬ 
tributing, in order to detect errors in routing. 


ROUTE AID 


87 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The sorting of messages. 

How to distinguish the messages for the automatic operators from 
those for the Morse operators, by observing the routing marks 
and the destination. 

The destinations which are served by the automatic operators and 
those which are served by the Morse operators. 

Which racks are used for the messages for the automatic operators 
and which for the Morse operators. 

The importance of sorting messages accurately. 

The distribution of messages. 

The location of Morse operators’ tables as numbered. 

The destinations served by the operators at each table. 

Which tables serve overland destinations and which serve way 
destinations. 

How to distinguish between the various classes of telegrams. 

Which hooks beside the overland operators are reserved for eacli 
class of telegrams. 

The importance of distributing telegrams promptly. 

Why certain classes of telegrams are given preference over others. 


(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


1 


2 


One line of promotion. 


Another line of promotion. 


Prom route aid to: 
(a) Distributor. 
(h) Route clerk. 


From route aid to: 
(a) Distributor. 

( h ) Route clerk. 


(c) Route supervisor. 


(c) Statistical clerk. 


88 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


DISTRIBUTOR 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: traffic department of division, district, or relay 
offices. 

Length of learning period: a few days. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over. 

Sex: male or female, usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: retentive memory. 

Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: seventh grade or higher. 

II. Duties 

When assisting the route aid. 

Receive messages through the drop from the distributing belt on which 
they have been placed by the route clerks. 

Separate the messages for the automatic operators from those for the 
Morse operators. 

Place the messages for the automatic operators in racks according to 
destination as indicated by the initials written on the blank by the 
route clerk. 

Place the messages for the Morse operators in racks according to the 
numbers written on the blank by the route clerk. 

For certain large cities use separate racks for the various classes of 
messages. 

As distributor. 

Take from the racks containing the messages for the automatic oper¬ 
ators the messages for each destination and proceed to the table 
where operators are sending messages to that destination. 

Place the messages in the numbering machine beside each operator, 
but see that no operator has more than three messages at any one 
time. 

In making the distribution take the regular rush messages (Black) 
first and the day letters (Blue) next. 

Distribute the night letters after all other messages for the day are 
sent. 

Observe the routing and the destination of messages, while distribut¬ 
ing, in order to detect errors in routing. 


DISTRIBUTOR 


89 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The sorting of messages. 

How to distinguish the messages for the automatic operators from 
those for the Morse operators, by observing the routing marks 
and the destination. 

The destinations which are served by the automatic operators and 
those which are served by the Morse operators. 

Which racks are used for the messages for the automatic operators 
and which for the Morse operators. 

The importance of sorting messages accurately. 

The distribution of messages. 

The location of the tables which serve each destination on the 
automatic circuits. 

The standard abbreviation used by the route clerks for each city 
served by the automatic circuits. 

How to distinguish between the various classes of telegrams. 

The importance of distributing telegrams promptly. 

Why certain classes of telegrams are given preference over others. 

(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


1 

One line of promotion. 
From route distributor to: 

(a) Route clerk. 

(b) Route supervisor. 


2 

Another line of promotion. 

From route distributor to: 

( a ) Automatic operator. 

(b) Unit supervisor. 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


DO 


AUTOMATIC OPERATOR 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 
Place of employment: main or relay offices. 

Length of learning period: three months (in automatic operators’ 
school conducted by the company). 

Usual length of service: girls, three to five years; hoys, brief—three 
to six months. 

Entrance requirements. 

Age: eighteen or over. 

Sex: female, except that the work on night shifts is done by boys. 
Special skill or training: special training in company school. 
Personal qualifications: steady, reliable, and not nervous. 

Physical qualifications: must pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: high school graduate if possible; mini¬ 
mum, eighth grade. Must pass company’s standard mental 
test. 


II. Duties 

As printer operator—receiving messages. 

Watch incoming message on automatic printing machine. Remove 
blank from machine. 

Proof-read message. Count words and verify with “check” which is 
marked in code on message. 

Signal perforator operator if it appears that anything is wrong with 
the message or the equipment. 

Mark off record of message on 1 “Received Number Sheet.” 

Time message with dating and timing stamp. 

Place message on distributing belt. 

As perforator operator—sending messages. 

“Sign in” on “Sent Number Sheet.” 

Received t} T ped (or original) messages from route distributor. 

Number message with number stamp (i.e., affix message number, call 
of distant office, and operator’s personal signal). 

Adjust perforated tape in transmitter. 

Perforate tape by copying message on keyboard of automatic per¬ 
forator (sender). 

Time the original message with pencil after it has been transmitted. 

File original message in “message file.” 

Note .—Operators alternate between receiving and sending messages 
every two hours, as a rule. 


AUTOMATIC OPERATOR 


91 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

Operating. 

How to perforate sending tape by typing the message on the key¬ 
board of the automatic perforator (multiplex sending instru¬ 
ment), by the touch system. 

How to adjust perforated tape in the sender, and how to attend 
to the automatic printing machine (multiplex receiving in¬ 
strument). 

How to make the various “calls,” “bells,” and other signals to the 
distant operator when necessary. 

The message. 

Routine followed by the company in receiving messages from 
patrons. 

Routine of transmitting and delivering telegrams. 

Message parts: address, time notations, “check,” message proper, 
company codes, etc. 

The function of the above message parts, or “extra words,” aside 
from the message proper. 

The function of and the reason for making the various copies of 
the message, such as original, relay, and delivery copies. 

The classes of domestic service messages and the reasons for this 
classification. 

The classes of foreign service messages and the reasons for the 
classification. 

The standard state abbreviations and why these should be strictly 
followed. 

The relation of telegraphic messages to other forms of communi¬ 
cation and their relative economic importance. 

Geography. 

Names and locations of cities and towns in the various states. 

Spelling. 

Care and accuracy in following spelling of all words in messages, 
especially in cases of code or foreign languages. 

Arithmetic. 

Accuracy in word counting. 

(Sluice left for additions.) 


92 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The automatic operator may be promoted along any one of the four 
lines suggested below, depending on the sex. 


1 

A line of promotion for girls. 
From automatic operator to: 

(a) Unit supervisor. 

(b) Instructress. 

3 

A line of promotion for boys or 

girls. 

From automatic operator to: 

(a) Statistical clerk. 

(b) Timekeeper. 

(c) Claim clerk. 

(d) Chief clerk of operating 

division. 


2 

A line of promotion for boys. 
From automatic operator to : 

(a) Unit supervisor. 

(b) Supervisor. 

(c) Assistant chief operator. 

4 

A line of promotion for boys. 
From automatic operator to: 

(a) Assistant wire attendant. 

(b) Wire expert. 


SEQUENCE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Service Division of Traffic Department, 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: employee not usually taken under seventeen, although a 
bright girl of sixteen could perform the work satisfactorily. 

Sex: female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Physical qualifications: pass ph 3 T sical examination given by the 
company. 

Personal qualifications: accuracy, deftness, alertness, neatness. 

Educational qualifications: preferably at least an eighth grade 
graduate; also ability to pass company’s educational examina¬ 
tion and intelligence test. 


SEQUENCE CLERK 


93 


II. Duties 

Collect messages from Traffic Department, as follows: 

At regular intervals proceed to Traffic Department. 

Remove messages of each operator from the racks, leaving in the 
rack the message bearing the largest serial number. 

Do not leave any “bust” messages in the racks. 

While collecting, keep messages of big telegraph offices separate 
by turning them crosswise in the pile of collected messages. 

Bring bundle of collected messages to sequence desk in Service 
Department. 

Record messages of the large offices on sequence sheet, as follows: 

Insert on sheet labeled for each large office the high and low num¬ 
bers of the messages sent, placing them in proper column. 

Then check messages to see that all intervening numbers are there. 

Enter on the sequence sheet in the proper column any number 
omitted. 

Enter on the sequence sheet in the proper column any duplicate 
numbering of messages sent or unsent. 

On the proper sheet make an entry of message numbers of all 
money transfers. 

Stamp and segregate messages as follows: 

Stamp all messages with the “examined” stamp having the num¬ 
ber of the particular clerk. 

While stamping, segregate messages into the following four groups: 
One, messages to home office. 

Two, messages from home office. 

Three, money transfers. 

Four, relay messages. 

While stamping, watch messages to see that all “sending marks” 
are on each message. 

Stamp both sheets of two-sheet messages, but before stamping the 
second sheet see that it has the proper sending marks. 

When incomplete markings are discovered, make out correction 
slip, attach correction slip to message, and return message to 
supervisor. 

When message is returned, complete the record on the correction 
slip, and file the correction slip. 

Keep in a separate group, for the file clerk, all messages returned 
with corrections. 

Take messages, when stamped, segregated, and examined, to the 
proper cabinet for filing by the file clerk. 


94 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Perform other duties as follows: 

Look for messages bearing a certain number when requested to 
do so by any official; send them to the official. 

Label sequence sheets for the large telegraph offices, as time per¬ 
mits. 

Keep desk in order. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

The Traffic Department. 

Location in the department of the wires serving each city. 

Location of the Morse instruments and the automatic instruments. 

Names of the officials of the department and the location of their 
offices or desks. 

The telegram. 

How to recognize a day letter, night letter, day message, night 
message, radiogram, cablegram, ‘‘bust" message, code message, 
baseball message, press message, or money transfer. 

Hew to recognize a message coming to the local city, going from 
the local city, or relayed through the local city. 

How to read the marks on a message so as to be sure they are com¬ 
plete. 

Collecting. 

How to locate quickly the number on a message, so as to lose no 
time in seeing that the message left in the rack is the one bear¬ 
ing the highest number. 

How to handle deftly a large pile of messages, carry them on the 
arm, and keep those of the larger offices crosswise in the pile. 

Segregating. 

Into what groups to segregate the telegrams collected. 

How to recognize quickly the different classes of telegrams to be 
segregated. 

How to make this segregation quickly and accurately. 


SEQUENCE CLERK 


95 


Examining. 

How to detect quickly omissions in the marking of any telegram. 

IIow to make out and attach a correction slip when markings on 
a telegram are incomplete or incorrect. 

What to do with the telegram when the correction slip has been 
attached. 

How to complete the record of the correction when the telegram 
has been returned from the Traffic Department. 

How to examine quickly a pile of messages to see that there are 
no omissions or duplications in numbering by the operator. 

Recording. 

For which offices, records of telegrams sent must be kept on the 
sequence sheets. 

What the office call of each of these offices is. 

What elata, including the low and high number of messages, may 
be required on the sequence sheet. 

What disposition to make of a sequence sheet when tilled. 

Where to get additional sequence sheets. 

Stamping. 

How to arrange the messages and the stamping pad, and how to 
hold the stamp, so as to stamp the messages quickly and neatly. 

The Service Department. 

In which part of the office the various kinds of messages are filed. 

The names of the various workers and what their duties are. 

The location of the supplies and equipment of the department. 


(Space left for additions.) 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 


From sequence clerk to: 

(a) File clerk. 

(b) Searcher. 

( c ) Service clerk. 

(d) Supervisor of Service 


One line of 'promotion. 


Department. 


1 


2 

lj 

Another line of promotion. 
From sequence clerk to : 

(a) Route aid in telephone de¬ 

partment. 

( b ) Telephone recorder. 

(c) Supervisor of Telephone 

Department. 


96 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


FILE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Service Division of the Traffic Department. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: usually not younger than seventeen or eighteen. 

Sex: usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none, though appointments are often 
made by promoting a sequence clerk or searcher. 

Personal qualifications: must be observant, careful, accurate, and 
have a good memory. 

Educational qualifications: preferably eighth grade or higher; also 
ability to pass company’s educational examination and intelli¬ 
gence test. 


II. Duties 

Handle messages relayed through local office as follows: 

Remove messages from box in which they have been placed by 
sequence clerk. 

File California messages alphabetically by cities and towns. 

File through relay messages alphabetically by states and large 
cities. 

Separate the file for certain large cities into black, blue, and night- 
letter telegrams. 

File cable messages for foreign points, alphabetically, under the 
name of the city of destination. 

Handle messages destined to local city as follows: 

Remove messages from box in which they have been placed by 
sequence clerk. 

File messages alphabetically according to the name of the ad¬ 
dressee. 

File messages from foreign points alphabetically, according to the 
name of the addressee. 

Handle messages from local city to distant points as follows: 

Remove messages from box in which they have been placed by 
sequence clerk. 

File messages alphabetically by cities in California. 

File messages alphabetically by states and large cities outside of 
California. 


FILE CLERK 


97 


I 1 ile messages to foreign points alphabetically, according to des¬ 
tination, but in a separate section of the filing cabinet. 

Handle special classes of messages as follows: 

File, in their particular compartments, baseball messages, other 
press dispatches, official communications, and “bust” messages. 

Handle telephoned messages as follows: 

Remove them from box where they have been placed by route aid. 

File them in the proper cabinet alphabetically, according to name 
of addressee. 

Act as relief clerk for the following: 

Sequence clerk, searcher, and service clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The telegram. 

How to recognize a day letter, night letter, day message, night 
message, radiogram, and cablegram. 

How to recognize a “bust” message, code message, baseball mess¬ 
age, press message, official interdepartmental message, etc. 

How to recognize a message coming to, going from, or relayed 
through the local city. 

What marks should be on a message; what these marks mean. 

What to do in case defective or incomplete marking is discovered. 

The importance of careful filing to the company and its patrons. 

Filing. 

The arrangement of the pigeonhole filing compartments in the 
office. 

Which division of the filing compartments is reserved for the 
previous day’s messages, for the present day’s messages, for 
messages coming to the local city, for messages going from the 
local city, for radiograms, for cablegrams, and for telephoned 
messages respectively. 

How to handle deftly a large bunch of messages and hold them in 
a way to facilitate their rapid filing. 

How to find quickly the name of the addressee and the destination 
of the message. 


98 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


The Service Department. 

The function of the service department. 

1 he relation of the Service Department to other departments in 
the company. 

The names of the workers in the department and the duties of 
each. 

The position of the file clerk. The relation of the work of the file 
clerk to that of the other clerks in the department. ' 

{Space left for additions.) 


D . Promotional Possibilities 

* 

The file clerk fills one of the more important positions in the Ser¬ 
vice Bureau. Prom this position there are several opportunities for 
promotion, both with the Service Bureau and from the Service Bureau 

into other bureaus of the Traffic Department. The most probable line 
is given below. 

(a) Searcher file clerk. 

(b) Service clerk. 

(c) Supervisor of service bureau. 


SEARCHER FILE CLERK 


99 


SEARCHER FILE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: service bureau of telegraph offices. 

Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over, preferably over eighteen. 

Sex: male or female, usually female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: carefulness, accuracy, neatness, and de¬ 
pendability. 

Physical qualifications: pass the physical examination given by the 
company. 

Educational qualifications: preferably a grammar school graduate. 


II. Duties 

In handling service requests. 

Receive requests coming over the belt from various departments for 
service on messages. 

Mark on the service message the time received and the initials desig¬ 
nating the searcher. 

Determine the approximate location of the desired message in the files. 

Proceed to the files with the service request and search for the message 
desired. 

When the message is found mark on it the time, attach it to the service 
request, and take it to the proper clerk for handling, as indicated 
by the department from which the request came. 

Performing other duties. 

Relieve the sequence clerk, the file clerk, or the service clerk, as occa¬ 
sion demands. 


(Space left for additions.) 


100 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
Service requests. 

What a service request or service message is. 

The conditions which ordinarily give rise to service requests. 

Where service requests most often originate. 

Why the searcher file clerk should mark on the service request the 
time it is received, and her identification initials. 

'Ihe relative importance of various kinds of service requests and 
the time allowed the service bureau on them. 

The importance to the company of prompt action on service mess¬ 
ages. 

The message-filing system. 

The arrangement of the pigeonhole files into divisions and the loca¬ 
tion of the divisions for messages to the local point, from the 
local point, for the present day, and for the previous day. 

The importance of careful filing of messages. 

Other systems of filing. 

Company and department personnel. 

The names of the important local officials of the company. 

The names of the officials of the Traffic Department and of the 
employees in charge of the various bureaus of this department. 

How the work of answering service requests is divided among the 
various service clerks, and where the clerk sits who handles each 
class of requests. 

In regard to relief duties. 

See Part III of the analyses of the Sequence Clerk, the File Clerk, 
and the Service Clerk. 

IV. Promotional Possibilities 

Ihe searcher file clerk holds one of the minor positions in the 
Service Bureau of the Traffic Department. Prom this position there 
are several opportunities for promotion to better paid and more re- 
sponsible positions. 

2 

Another line of promotion. 

From searcher file clerk to: 

(u) Telephone recorder. 

(b) Assistant to supervisor. 

(c) Supervisor of Telephone 
Bureau. 


One line of promotion. 
From searcher file clerk to : 

(a) Service clerk. 

(b) Supervisor of Service 

Bureau. 


FILE AND COPY CLERK 


101 


FILE AND COPY CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: telephone department of large telegraph offices. 
Length of learning period: two weeks to one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or over. 

Sex: female. 

Previous skill or training: none. 

Personal qualifications: alertness, carefulness, neatness. 

Physical qualifications: pass company’s physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: pass company’s educational test. 

II. Duties 

In receiving and distributing messages. 

Pick up messages coming over the belt from the Operating Depart¬ 
ment. 

Examine each message to see what disposition should he made of it. 
Distribute messages to the Service Department, or to the proper wire 
for telephoning out, as indicated by the address and by the mark¬ 
ings on the message. 

Watch for death, condolence, or congratulation messages wrongly 
routed to Telephone Department and divert them to the Delivery 
Department. 


In collecting messages for filing. 

Proceed to the various wires and remove from the racks of the tele¬ 
phone operators the messages which they have telephoned out. 

Take these telephoned messages to the pigeonhole files. 

In segregating messages into groups. 

Sort into one group messages which will be called for by the ad¬ 
dressees. 

Sort into another group messages which the addressees request shall 
be delivered. 

Sort into a third group messages which are to be mailed to the 
addressees. 

Sort into a fourth group messages which are to be filed. 

In each case make two separate groups, one for collect messages, the 
other for messages on which tolls are not to be collected. 


102 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


In numbering the messages. 

Number all messages to be mailed, beginning each morning with the 
designated starting number and the proper stamp. 

Number the other messages, beginning each morning* with one. 

In malting water copies and skeleton messages. 

Make skeleton messages, either on the typewriter or by hand, of all 
messages on which tolls are to be collected, filling the blank with 
the data called for. 

Make water copies of the messages to be filed, of those to be mailed, 
and of those for which the addressees will call. 

In making water copies, proceed as follows: 

Place a wet tissue sheet smoothly over the original. 

Fold both together horizontally and vertically. 

Insert between the rolls of the copying press. 

Operate the press by a handle or by an electric foot button. 

Take the message from the rolls as it comes through. 

Repeat several times to get a clear copy. 

Unfold the message and separate the original and the duplicate 
tissue. 

Examine the tissue and use a pencil to make clear any indistinct 
letters. 

Stamp the tissue Duplicate of telephoned message. 77 

In filing the messages. 

Pile the water copies and the originals, also the skeleton messages and 
originals, in separate sections and pigeonholes, alphabetically 
according to the name of the addressee. 

In sending messages to Delivery Department. 

Send to the Delivery Department the messages which the telephone 
operators have marked “deliver,” with tag attached bearing the 
notation ‘ 1 advise delivery. ? ’ 

Send to the Delivery Department messages to be delivered or mailed 
or for which addressees will call, as indicated by telephone oper¬ 
ators, with tags attached directing the Delivery Department as to 
the disposition to be made of the messages. 

(Space left for additions.) 


FILE AND COPY CLERK 


103 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

Receiving and distributing messages. 

The location of the operators serving each particular branch, way 
circuit, or trunk circuit. 

How to interpret the markings on the messages in order to dis¬ 
tribute them correctly to the sending telephone operators. 

Why messages relating to death, condolence, or congratulation 
should not be telephoned to the addressee. 

Collecting messages for filing. 

Where the telephone operators place the messages which they have 
telephoned out. 

Segregating messages. 

How to interpret the markings on a message blank in order to 
determine which are collect, which are paid or charged, which 
are to be mailed, which are to be delivered, and which will be 
called for by the addressees. 

Numbering messages. 

Which stamp to use in numbering the messages to be mailed. 

Which stamp to use in numbering all messages not to be mailed. 

How to reset the stamps used. 

Why messages are numbered. 

Why messages to be mailed, after having been telephoned, should 
be numbered separately. 

Making skeleton messages and water copies. 

■ Messages of which water copies should be made. 

Messages of which skeleton messages should be made. 

Why such records of messages must be kept. 

Why water copies are made of some messages and skeleton mess¬ 
ages of others. 

How to fold the original and tissue sheet together. 

How to operate the copying press. 

The importance of having distinct water copies made. 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

There are practically no opportunities for advancement from this 
position in the Telephone Bureau unless the file and copy clerk chooses 
to enter the operators’ school at a temporary partial sacrifice of salary. 


104 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


TELEPHONE RECORDER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: in branch or main telegraph offices. 

Length of learning period: four to six weeks. (See below—Special 

skill required.) 

Special health risks: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: sixteen or over. (See application blank for employment.) 

Sex: male or female. 

Previous skill or training: (a) in branch offices—accuracy and 
ability to operate a typewriter; (b) in main offices—special 
course in Traffic Department training school, including use of 
special telephone and typewriter. 

Personal requirements: courtesy and tact in telephone conversa¬ 
tions regarding rates, and general information regarding tele¬ 
grams. 

Physical requirements: good eyesight and hearing. Must pass 
special physical examination prescribed for'all employees except 
messengers. 

Educational requirements: Minimum education—eighth grade. In 
main offices applicant must pass company’s standard mental 
test. (See application blank.) 


II. Duties 

As recording operator at public board. 

When coming on duty adjust the head set and take designated seat. 
As signal light flashes on the board plug in on the wire indicated and 
answer “Western Union ’ to the person wishing to send a tele¬ 
gram. 

Get and record the following data on the typewriter: 

The complete address, including name of addressee, his street and 
number, city and state address. 

The body of the message. 

The name and telephone number of the sender. 

The class of service desired. 

Repeat the message back for verification. 

Look up the tolls on the message in the tariff book. 

Enter the amount of tolls, the time of receiving the message, the 
class of service, and the method of payment. 


TELEPHONE RECORDER 


105 


Verify the telephone number given by the sender. 

When the number given is of an apartment house or hotel call the 
manager and verify the charge. 

Forward the message to the telegraph operators. 

Make connections for persons desiring “Information.” 

Keep a record of the number of messages received by telephone. Turn 
the record over to the supervisor when going off duty'. 

Handle public coin box calls as follows: 

Flash the central operator. 

Quote the tolls to be collected. 

Make the connection after Central gives the O.K. 

As recording operator at branch office board. 

Record on the typewriter the telegrams as they are dictated over the 
telephone from the various branch offices. 

Read back the typed message to the other office, spelling out each word 
according to the telephone code. 

Send completed message over the belt to the telegraph operators. 
Keep a record of the number of messages received and turn it over 
to the supervisor when going off duty. 


As delivering operator at public board. 

Receive from the route aid the message to be telephoned to the ad¬ 
dressee. 

Call the telephone number found on the blank. 

When person answers say, “This is Western Union. I have a telegram 
for-. ’ ’ 

If addressee is in or the person answering the telephone can take the 
message, read the message. 

Request that the message be repeated back. 

If the person also wishes telegram delivered by messenger or mailed, 
indicate the fact on the blank. 

Stamp the message blank, entering thereon the time when the message 
was telephoned, the disposition to be made of the message (to be 
mailed, delivered—see above—or filed), and the designation of the 
telephone operator. 

Place the message in the rack for the route aid. 

If addressee does not answer or message cannot be taken by person 
answering the telephone, lay the message aside and make four 
trials at ten-minute intervals to get the addressee. 



106 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


If finally unable to make telephonic delivery, enter the proper nota¬ 
tion on the blank, and mark it ‘ ‘ Deliver, ’ ’ when the route aid will 
forward it to the Delivery Department. 

Keep a record of the number of messages telephoned. Turn the record 
over to the supervisor when going off duty. 

As delivering operator at the branch office board . 

Receive from the route aid the messages to be telephoned to the 
branch office. 

Call the operator at the branch office. 

Spell out every word and mark on the telegram blank in the telephone 
code, beginning at the upper left hand corner of the message and 
reading from left to right throughout the message for the con¬ 
venience of the recording operator. 

Place the message in the rack for the route aid. 

Ms P. B. X. operator. 

Make connections as called for by private branch exchanges. 

Answer questions regarding rates and classes of service. 

Answer “Western Union” on all incoming calls. 

Say “I will connect you with (the department asked for by the pat¬ 
ron).” 

If patron calls and wants a message relay the call to the proper branch 
office. Keep a record, in the proper book, of all such calls. 

Answer “operator” on requests for central. 

Make extensions when one office calls another in the same building. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

The telephone board and equipment. 

The proper adjustment of the head set. 

The kinds of cords. 

The signals and their significance. 

How to plug in. 


TELEPHONE RECORDER 


107 


The telegram. 

The form of a telegram. 

The various classes of serviee. 

The reasons for classifying messages and offering special service. 
The route of a telegram from receiving to delivering. 

Kates. 

How to find the rate and figure the charges on various classes of 
telegrams. 

Ability to add and multiply. 

Use of simple mathematical tables. 

Correct counting. 

How the company has divided the country as a basis for rating 
messages. 

Tariff rules. 

The tariff rules regarding the receipt of messages for transmission, 
and regarding the delivery of messages b}^ telephone. 

Kules for intra-office work in sending and receiving messages. 

Guard words. 

The complete list of guard words used to prevent errors in receiv¬ 
ing and sending messages over the telephone. 

The technique of the use of guard words in sending messages in 
intra-office work. 

The necessity for the use of guard words. 

The percentage of errors in sending and receiving messages. 

English. 

Clear enunciation. 

Telephone phrases in courteous form. 

Understanding of dialects and different accents. 

Repeating numbers by separating them in parts. 

The care of the vocal tract. 

The importance of courteous speech in dealing with the public. 

(Space left for additions.) 


108 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


IV. Promotional Possibilities 

The telephone recorder may be promoted along either one of three 
general lines as suggested below. Opportunity and training is pro¬ 
vided along either line, depending upon the preference and aptitude 
of the employee, and the availability of positions. 

1 2 

One line of promotion. Another line of promotion. 

From telephone recorder to: From telephone recorder to: 

(a) Counter clerk in branch {a) Morse operator, 
office. ( h) Supervisor. 

(h) Bookeeper in branch (c) Branch office manager, 

office. 

(c) Clerk in bookkeeping de¬ 

partment of main office. 

( d ) Chief bookkeeper. 


3 

Another line of promotion. 
From telephone recorder to: 

(a) Unit supervisor. 

(b) Supervisor of telephone 

bureau. 



MORSE OPERATOR 


109 


MORSE OPERATOR 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: main, relay, or way offices. 

Length of learning period: indeterminate, unless attending company’s 
Morse Training School (6 months). 

Usual length of service: 5 years or over. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or over, preferably over twenty-five. 

Sex: male or female, usually male. 

Previous skill or training: take course in company training school, 
or have equivalent degree of skill as operator. 

Personal qualifications: alertness, steady nerves. 

Physical qualifications: must pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: high school graduate if possible, at 
least eighth grade. Pass company’s standard mental test. 


II. Duties 

In receiving messages. 

Receive messages in Morse code signals from sounder. 

Type message on typewriter according to standard forms. 

Proof read message. Count words and verify with “check” (marked 
on message). 

Make time notation on message. 

Mark off record of message on ‘ ‘ Received Number Sheet. ’ ’ 

Forward message for delivery by: 

(a) Placing on distributing belt (in main or relay office). 

( b ) Handing to delivery clerk or messenger in branch office. 

In sending messages. 

Send message in Morse code signals with Morse key to distant office, 
from original or relay message blank. 

Endorse on the message blank the operator’s sign, sign of distant 
office, time of sending, “check,” and any other required company 
code. 

Mark off record of message on ‘ ‘ Sent Number Sheet. ’ ’ 

File message. 

Repeat and check back messages only on “repeat” telegrams. 

Note .—In smaller branches the Morse operator may be in turn counter 
clerk, manager, bookkeeper, and office boy. 


110 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

Operating. 

The Morse code. 

A specified minimum of skill, namely accuracy and speed both in 
sending and receiving messages by the Morse instruments. 

Ability to operate a typewriter to record messages received. 

The message. 

Routine followed by the company in receiving messages. 

Routine of transmitting and delivering telegrams. 

Message parts: address, time notations, ‘ ‘ check, ’ ’ message proper, 
company codes, etc. 

The function of the above message parts or “extra words,” aside 
from the message proper. 

The function of and the reason for making the various copies of 
the message, such as original, relay, and delivery copies. 

The classes of domestic service messages and the reasons for this 
classification. 

The classes of foreign service messages and the reasons for this 
classification. 

The standard state abbreviations, and why these should be followed. 

The relation of telegraphic messages to other forms of communica¬ 
tion, and their relative economic importance. 

Names and locations of cities and towns in the several states. 

Spelling. 

C are and accuracy in following spelling of all words in messages, 
especially in cases of code or foreign languages. 

Clerical work. (Small town offices.) 

The duties of the counter clerk, cashier, collect register clerk, etc., 
will be found in the analyses of these jobs. 


I\ . Promotional Possibilities 


1 

One line of promotion. 
Prom Morse operator to: 

{a) Unit supervisor. 

(b) Supervisor. 

(c) Assistant chief operator. 

( d ) Chief operator. 


9 

LJ 

Another line of promotion. 
From Morse operator to: 

(a) Manager (in small office). 

(b) Manager (in city office). 

(c) General manager. 


ROUTE SUPERVISOR 


111 


ROUTE SUPERVISOR 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 
Place of employment: main offices in large cities. 

Length of learning’ period: depends upon term of previous experience 
in the department. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or over, usually over twenty-one. 

Sex: female, in day shifts, male at night. 

Previous skill or training: experience as route clerk and tube 
attendant. 

Personal qualifications: executive ability. 

Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: seventh grade or over. 


II. Duties 

Supervise and direct the work of route aids, route clerks, and tube 
attendants. 

Instruct new aids, clerks, and attendants in their duties. 

Answer questions relative to the work of routing messages. 

Be responsible to the chief operator for the work done by, and disci¬ 
pline of, route clerks and tube attendants. 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The office. 

Location of operator’s desk serving each “wire unit." 
Arrangement of belt and tube distribution system of the office. 
Names of the cities and towns in the territory served by each “des¬ 
tination unit” and “wire unit.” 

Geography. 

Subdivisions of the company territory into “destination units” 
and “wire units.” 

Streets and buildings within district of each branch office. 

How to locate the “wire unit” over which any given message must 
be sent. 

Directing workers. 

How to instruct and train route aids and tube attendants. 

How to distribute work fairly among the group of workers. 

How to answer questions regarding message routing. 

How to keep the workers’ time cards. 

How to make out the necessary reports for the chief operator. 


112 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


SERVICE CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Service Bureau of the Traffic Department. 
Length of learning period: about one month. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: preferably over eighteen. 

Sex: generally female. 

Previous skill or training: some knowledge of typewriting. 
Personal qualifications: good judgment, carefulness, and neatness. 
Physical qualifications: ability to pass the company’s examination. 
Educational qualifications: ability to pass the company’s educa¬ 
tional test. 


II. Duties 

In answering requests for information from telegraph offices at other 

points. 

Receive from the searcher the service request and the corresponding 
message. 

Make out all service replies in duplicate on the tj^pewriter, using a 
blank half sheet for the purpose. 

Send the original of the reply on the belt to the central distributing 
center. 

Attach the duplicate to the message on which service was requested 
and place in box for refiling. 

In sending service messages use the company’s abbreviations for all 
commonly used words. 

Mark on all telegrams the time when the service was completed. 

Answer, first, all requests for the repetition of words or messages. 

If service is a notification of “tolls unpaid at destination,” notify the 
sender of the message on the blank used for that purpose, referring 
to the tariff book if necessary for information as to rate and 
charges. 

In answering requests for information from local addressees. 

Answer the request over the telephone. 

Stamp the message with the ‘ 1 telephoned ’ ’ stamp and fill in the blanks 
on the stamp. 

In handling service requests from the bookkeeping department. 

Number each request and the corresponding answer consecutively, 
beginning with Monday of each week. 


SERVICE CLERK 


113 


In sending service requests to other telegraph offices. 

Prepare a clear, concise service message, referring to the telegram 
in question and to the notations made by the person or department 
seeking the information. 

Retain all messages until the answer has been received. 

If it is necessary to hold the message out of the files for more than the 
usual time, make out a skeleton message and place it in the box for 
the file clerk. 

While messages are awaiting answers to service requests, keep them 
in a separate group, taking out each message as the service is com¬ 
pleted and returning it to the box for the file clerk. 

When service is requested from the Traffic Department because of 
doubt as to destination, wire the probable destination first to see 
if the addressee is known. 

If addressee is not known at the probable destination, send a service 
request to the point of origin of the message (e.g. on a message 
from Laramie, Wjmining, to John Burford, Tafe, California, sent 
by James Gordon, prepare a service message for Taft, the probable 
destination, first, to see if they know John Burford. If they do 
not, then prepare a service message for Laramie regarding the 
matter). 

In acting as relief clerk. 

Relieve the sequence clerk, the searcher, or the file clerk. See the 

duties of these clerks. 

(Space left for additions.) 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 

Service requests from other telegraph offices. 

How to proceed to find quickly the desired information asked for 
in the service request. 

The abbreviations used by the company in writing service com¬ 
munications. 

Why abbreviations are used in service messages. 

The proper blank to use in answering service requests. 

How to make up a service relay message. What to do with the 
original of the reply. What to do with the duplicate and the 
original message on which service was requested. 


114 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


Why the time of sending all service messages should be recorded. 

Why requests for repetition should be given preference. 

How to handle notifications of “tolls unpaid at destination.” 

The importance, to all concerned, of prompt action on service 
requests. 

Requests from local addressees. 

How requests from local addressees are received and handled. 

How to find quickly the information desired by local addressees. 

Why the “telephoned stamp should be used on the message and 
what data should be entered upon it. 

Requests from the Bookkeeping Department. 

The usual nature of requests from the Bookkeeping Department. 

How the information desired by the Bookkeeping Department may 
be obtained. 

How the requests from the Bookkeeping Department are numbered. 

Sending out service requests. 

How to prepare quickly a clear, concise service message, by refer¬ 
ring to the telegram in question and to the notations accom¬ 
panying it. 

The procedure in handling outgoing service requests. 

Why skeletons should he made for messages held out of the files 
unduly long. 

Why messages awaiting replies to service requests should be kept 
in a separate group. 

What to do when the service request arises because of doubt as to 
destination. 

How good judgment on the part of the service clerk can benefit the 
company and its patrons. 

Geography—A knowledge of the names of cities and towns in the 
territory served by the division. 

English—How to frame a service message for information in 
regard to destination of a message. 

Acting as relief clerk. 

See Section III of the analyses of the jobs of sequence clerk, the 
searcher file clerk, and the file clerk. 

(Space left for additions.) 


STATISTICAL CLERK 


115 


STATISTICAL CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 
Place of employment: Traffic Department, office of the chief clerk. 
Length of learning period: about one month. 

Specal hazards: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: eighteen or over, usually over twenty-one. 

Sex: female. 

Previous skill or training: preferably a knowledge of automatic 
telegraph operating; or previous clerical experience. 

Personal qualifications: accuracy and ability to handle details. 
Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 


II. Duties 

Obtain and record from the “sent number sheets” and “received 
number sheets of the telegraph operators data concerning the num¬ 
ber of messages handled each day on both Morse and automatic 
circuits. 

See that the number of reports received is the same as the number 
of operators on each “trick” as shown by the time keeper’s records. 

Separate these data for each circuit into number of messages handled 
in each “trick.” 

Tabulate all this information in prescribed manner on special daily, 
weekly, monthly, and annual forms. 

Keep these statistical forms and data properly filed and keep files 
in order so that all statistical information can be found at once. 

(Space left for additions.) 


116 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The department. 

The organization of the department. 

The lines of authority in the department. 

The routing of work through the department. 

The office equipment. 

The use of the adding machine, the office files, and other office 
equipment. 

Tabulation. 

IIow to use the message record sheets. 

How to sort and tabulate the required data on the weekly, monthly, 
and annual blanks. 

The importance of neatness and accuracy in statistical work. 
Piling. 

The approved methods of filing. 

The method of filing used in the office. 

How to file the forms received and the blanks made out. 

How to find any information from the files upon request. 

Statistics. 

The interpretation of statistics, tabular and graphical. 

The significance and importance of the statistical work. 

The value of the experience as statistical clerk in preparing for 
promotion in the department. 

Mathematics. 

Sufficient knowledge of addition to make the clerk independent of 
the machine. 

The elements of mathematics necessary for statistical work. 

(Space left for additions.) 


CLAIM CLERK 


117 


CLAIM CLERK 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Traffic Department, office of the chief clerk. 

Length of learning period: indefinite. 

Special hazards: none. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age: twenty to twenty-one years or over. 

Sex: female. 

Previous skill or training: preferably a knowledge of automatic or 
Morse operating, as well as previous office experience as a 
stenographer and statistical clerk. 

Personal qualifications: self reliance, ability to direct the work of 
others. 

Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 

II. Duties 

Attend to all correspondence between the Traffic Department and 
others, under the chief clerk’s direction. 

Receive all correspondence coming into the department respecting 
claims of any kind arising from delay or mistake in forwarding 
messages, or from errors made in sending messages. 

Find a copy of the message in question in the files and obtain any data 
necessary as to time of sending and delivery, and the names of 
operators handling the message. 

Verify the accuracy of transmission at relay points and at destination. 
Write a complete report and forward it through the proper channels. 
Keep a record on file of all such correspondence. 

Direct and supervise claim clerk’s assistants. 

(Space left for additions.) 


118 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The telegraph company. 

The general organization of the company, the several divisions and 
departments. 

The company’s policy and service. 

The organization and functions of the service bureau. 
Interdepartmental routines and lines of contact. 

The policy of the company respecting claims. 

The office. 

The nature of the statistical work done in the office. 

The lines of authority in the office. 

How to obtain information from the records of messages. 

English. 

How to dictate a clear, concise request for information regarding 
a claim. 

IIow to make a complete, concise report of an investigation of a 
claim. 

The correct form, as to spelling, paragraphing, and punctuation 
in business letters and reports. 

The transmission of messages. 

The steps followed in the transmission of messages. 

The route of any message in transmission from one point to an¬ 
other. 

The points at which errors, mechanical or personal, may occur. 
The records. 

Approved methods of record keeping. 

The character of records of messages kept at receiving stations, 
relay points, and destination. 

The importance to a telegraph company of accurate and complete 
records. 

Filing. 

How to file and find information received on active claims. 

How to file and find information gathered on settled claims. 
Approved methods of filing correspondence. 

Approved methods of filing cards, records, and blanks, especially 
those used in the telegraph business. 

The importance of careful and systematic filing. 

(Space left for additions.) 


TIMEKEEPER 


119 


TIMEKEEPER 

I. General Facts Concerning the Job 

Place of employment: Traffic Department, office of the chief clerk. 
Length of learning period: about two weeks. 

Entrance requirements: 

Age : eighteen or over. 

Sex: female. 

Previous skill or training: ability to use the adding machine; 
thorough familiarity with the duties of the claim clerk, and 
preferably also a knowledge of automatic telegraph operating. 
Personal qualifications: same qualities as for bookkeeper or file 
clerk. 

Physical qualifications: pass special physical examination. 
Educational qualifications: eighth grade or higher. 

II. Duties 

Make new time-cards each week with names of employees and dates. 

Assort the time-cards into divisions, and “tricks,” viz., dav, night 
and late night shifts. 

Take “out” time-cards from racks at given hours of the day and 
record absences. 

Take “in” time-cards from racks at given hours and make a record 
of each employee’s time as shown on the card. 

Make out a time-card for each new employee, as directed. 

Make out payroll vouchers for each employee, weekly. 

File used time-cards for each employee. 

Prepare the weekly paj’roll on the regulation blank. 

Send the payroll and the vouchers to the proper authority. 

Direct and supervise the work of the assistant timekeeper. 

(Space left for additions.) 


120 


ANALYSES OF POSITIONS 


III. Required Knowledge—Direct Value Units 
The office. 

Personnel and organization of the department. 

The work of statistical clerks and of operators. 

Organization of the day into “tricks.” 

The method of making payment. 

Regulations of the office in regard to deductions for absence and 
tardiness, and increases for overtime. 

Rules regarding requisitions for materials. 

Record keeping. 

Method of record keeping and the accounting system of the de¬ 
partment. 

Modern methods of loose-leaf accounting. 

Form of keeping payrolls. 

Form of payroll vouchers. 

Filing of time-cards and other payroll records. 

Methods of filing other than those used in the office. 

Arithmetic. 

The four fundamental operations. 

The use of the payroll calculating chart or wage table. 

Office appliances. 

The use of the adding machine. 

The use of calculating and bookkeeping machines. 

(Space left for additions.) 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


121 


PART THREE 

SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 

BACKGROUND TOPICS 

Listed below are a number of subjects for instruction related to 
the business of a telegraph company. These subjects will furnish a 
background of useful knowledge to the worker in the field of tele¬ 
graphy. They should give youthful employees of telegraph companies 
an appreciation of the telegraph business as a service to the public and 
as a factor in the development of the country, and should show them 
their responsibility to the company which employs them, their re¬ 
sponsibility to themselves and to the community as wage earners 
and citizens, and last but not least, the responsibility of the company 
to its employees. 

Telegraphy. 

A brief history of the invention of the telegraph. 

The beginnings of the telegraph business. 

The development of telegraphy. 

Morse telegraphy. 

Automatic telegraphy. 

The Western Union multiplex system. 

The principles underlying the telegraphic transmission of messages. 
Biographies of famous men in the field of telegraphy. 

Other Methods of Message Transmission. 

The United States Mail Service. 

The Telephone. 

The Cable. 

The Wireless Telephone. 

The Radiotelegraph. 

(The particular field of each of these methods of message trans¬ 
mission ; the relative importance of each of these methods; 
recent developments in each of these methods; how all other 
means of communication are often used as adjuncts to tele¬ 
graphy. ) 


STOCKHOLDERS 


122 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 



NATIONAL ORGANIZATION PLAN—TELEGRAPH COMPANY 



































































































BACKGROUND TOPICS 


123 


The Telegraph Service. 

The universality of the telegraph service. 

The millions of people dependent upon the telegraph for business 
and social communication. 

The services rendered by a telegraph company. 

Message transmission. (The various classes of telegrams and 
cablegrams.) 

Money transfer service. 

Messenger service. (Message delivery; message collection; 

National Distribution Service; errand service.) 

Commercial News Dispatch. (Market quotations and reports, 
baseball, football, and other news, by messenger, private 
wire, or ticker, according to contract.) 

Time service. (Master clocks; clock rentals; program bells, 
factory whistles, and signal lights.) 

The Economic Importance of the Telegraph. 

“Of all inventions, the alphabet and printing press alone excepted, 
those which abridge distance have done the most for civiliza¬ 
tion. ’ ’—Macaulay. 

Long distance communication before the invention of the telegraph. 
The telegraph as a factor in the prompt transaction of business. 
The telegraph as a factor in the economic development of the 
country. 

The Telegraph Company. 

General administrative organization. 

Geographic organization. 

Functional organization. 

The four departments (plant, traffic, commercial, and account¬ 
ing) of the company, and the function and importance of 
each department. 

Interdepartmental routines and lines of contact. 

The Legal Status of the Telegraph Company. 

The rights of telegraph companies as defined under the Act of 
Congress of July, 1866, and under Section 536 of the Civil 
Code of California. 

Construction rights on military or post roads. 

Rights to condemn property. 

Limitations through police regulations. 

Rights of cities to exclude, tax, or charge rentals. 


124 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


The Regulation of Telegraph Companies. 

The public nature of the telegraph business. 

The necessity for public regulation of public servants. 

The authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission over tele¬ 
graph companies. 

The authority of the State Railroad Commission over telegraph 
companies. 

History of the Western Union Telegraph Company. 

The first telegraph companies. 

The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Com¬ 
pany. 

The operating arrangement of 1851. 

The formation of the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1856. 
The completion of the first line to the Pacific Coast in 1861. 
Consolidations up to 1866. 

The Act of Congress of July, 1866, and its importance. 

The development of the company since 1866. 

The present geographic extent of the company’s lines. 

The relative size and importance of the company. 

Policies of the company as a servant of the public. 

History of Other Telegraph Companies. 

The origin and growth of these companies. 

The territory served by them. 

The relative size and importance of these companies. 

Their policies as servants of the public. 

The Telegraph in Business. 

The numerous advantages of a telegram over an ordinary letter. 
The class of message ordinarily used in business. 

The use of the telegraph in buying, selling, advertising, collecting 
bad debts, etc. 

Comparison of the telegram and the circular letter as to costs and 
results. 

The increasing use of the telegraph in business. 

The State Industrial Welfare Commission. 

The conditions which made necessary the creation of the Commis¬ 
sion. 

The scope of its authority. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


125 


The beneficial regulations of the Commission in regard to the 
work of minors as to age, rate of pay, hours of work, overtime, 
day of rest, lighting of workrooms, ventilation, temperature, 
sanitary conditions, fire exits, etc. 

The attitude of the modern employer contrasted with that of many 
employers of early times in regard to the welfare of employees. 


The State Industrial Accident Commission. 

The conditions which made necessary the creation of the Commis¬ 
sion. 

The scope of its authority. 

The regulations of the Commission in regard to the employment 
of minors. 


Anecdotes of the Service 

Earnings One Cent .—'“The first telegraph line was built between 
Washington and Baltimore in 1844 under an appropriation from Con¬ 
gress.It was opened to public use on April 1, 1845. It may 

be interesting to know something of the first days of this new line. 
From April 1st to 4th the cash receipts were lc. This munificent 
sum was received from a United States Senator. Congress had fixed 
the tolls to be charged at a rate of a half cent for each character 
transmitted. The Senator desired to view the telegraph in actual 
operation, and as usual with those obsessed with the importance of 
their positions, he desired to be shown without cost. This the operator 
refused to do, saying that it would be a violation of his oath to the 
Government. The Senator had nothing less than a $20.00 bill, other 
than a copper cent. The operator consented to send the figure “4” 
which was the signal for inquiring for correct time. It then being one 
o’clock in Baltimore, the figure “1” was returned and the operator 
debited his account with receipts of one cent. On April 5th the 
receipts were 12^ cents; on the 7th they totalled 60 cents, and on 
the 8th they ran up to $1.32. This is in remarkable contrast with 
the situation in 1920, when the gross operating revenue of the West¬ 
ern Union Telegraph Company amounted to approximately $120,- 
000,000.”—C. F. Newsom. 

Eighty Miles and Back. —“Mr. T. P. Cook, a former General Man¬ 
ager, .... was one of the operators of this pioneer line (to the 
Pacific Coast). He relates that he was stationed at a military office 
somewhere between here and the Missouri River. A company of 



126 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


soldiers was provided for protection against the depredations of the 
Indians. One night the then young Cook desired to talk with an 
operator east of his station and not wishing to have his conversation 
overheard by those west of him he put on his ground wire, and when 
through proceeded to forget all about it. The east soon commenced 
calling San Francisco and being unable to raise that office it was 
decided that the line had been grounded somewhere, and young Cook 
was instructed to take his company of soldiers and investigate, and 
although he rode west for eighty miles and back he failed to find the 
ground until told to examine his own switchboard. Great beads of 
perspiration stood out on his brow when he realized that he had tied 
up all communication from coast to coast for over twenty-four hours. ’ ’ 
—C. F. Newsom. 

Heroes of Everyday Life .—See pages 26-29 of Fannie E. Coe’s 
book by this name (Ginn & Co., 1911) for accounts of heroism dis¬ 
played by telegraph operators in the discharge of their duty. 


Corporations. 

The distinction between a corporation and a partnership. 
How corporations are created. 

The capital stock of a corporation. 

Rights and liabilities of the owners (stockholders). 

How a corporation is managed. 

Duties and responsibilities of directors and officers. 
Different kinds of corporations. 

The telegraph company as a quasi-public corporation. 


Statistics. 

How to prepare charts and graphs from statistical data. 

ih<“ interpretation of data presented in tabular or graphic form. 

The importance of statistical work. 

The importance of accurate and reliable data. 

the use of statistics in the work of a telegraph company. 

Filing Systems. 

Systems for the filing of correspondence. 

Systems for the filing of records on cards and forms. 

Methods of filing cards, forms, and blanks used in the telegraph 
business. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


127 


Elementary Business Law. 

Contracts: 

Essentials of an enforceable contract. 

Agreement (offer and acceptance). 

Competent parties (principal emphasis upon the compe¬ 
tency of minors). 

Absence of fraud, duress, or undue influence. 

Good and sufficient consideration. 

A legal object. 

Particular form (for certain contracts). 

The nature of the contract entered into by and between the 
telegraph company and its patrons. 

The obligations of a telegraph company compared to those of 
a common carrier. 

The nature of the contract entered into by and between the 
telegraph company and each employee. 

Bailments: 

A bailment as a particular kind of contract. 

The various classes of bailments. 

The telegraph company as a bailee. 

Agency: 

Elementary consideration of the subject of principal and agent, 
and of master and servant. 

The telegraph company as an agent. 

Negotiable Instruments: 

Common forms of negotiable instruments, with particular em¬ 
phasis upon checks and drafts. 

How money is transferred by telegraph. 

Bookkeeping and Accounting . 

The fundamental principles of debit and credit. 

How to keep a systematic account of personal receipts and ex¬ 
penditures. 

How to make a budget. 

The importance of making and being guided by a budget for a 
private individual or for a firm. 

How to make up a statement of profits and losses and of assets 
and liabilities from one’s personal accounts. 

The importance of a periodic inventory of profits and losses, 
assets and liabilities, for a private individual and for a firm. 
The financial statement as a basis for the granting of credit. 


128 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Bookkeeping and accounting methods and practices in the tele¬ 
graph business. 

The Uniform System of Accounts for Telegraph and Cable Com¬ 
panies, prescribed by the Interstate Commerce Commission. 

Geography. 

Names and approximate location of the forty-eight states. 

Names of the capital and important cities of each state. 

Names and approximate location of all dependencies of the United 
States; their capitals and important cities. 

Standard state abbreviations. 

Names and approximate location of important foreign countries; 

their capitals and important cities. 

Terminal points of trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic cables, and of 
those connecting North America and South America. 

Mid-Atlantic and mid-Pacific cable stations. 

The routes of the three transcontinental trunk lines of the Western 
Union. 

The geographic and climatic conditions which make necessary more 
than one transcontinental trunk line. 

• English. 

The reading and interpretation of tariffs, tariff circulars, and 
tariff supplements of telegraph companies. 

The reading and interpretation of the statements on the back of 
telegraph blanks and cablegram blanks. 

Clear and concise oral and written expression, with application to 
the telegraph business. 

The Employee’s Responsibilities. 

The necessity of observing a prescribed routine of work. 

The dependence of the company upon its employees for perform¬ 
ing their duties in the routine way. 

4 / 

The organization of the telegraph company. 

The value to the company of an employee who is familiar with 
its organization. 

The history of a telegram. 

What happens to a telegram from receipt to delivery. 

The records necessitated by the sending of a message. 

The various employees who are involved in the sending of a 
message. 

I he cost of a message and the charge for sending it. 

The responsibility of each employee for the prompt and accu¬ 
rate transmission and delivery, of every message. 


BACKGROUND TOPICS 


129 


Ethics and decorum for employees. 

The importance of courtesy and politeness toward officials, 
fellow workers, and the public. 

The responsibility^ of each employee in maintaining the good 
reputation of the company. 

The importance of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s 
pay. 

The ethics of the telegraph business. 

The importance of holding as confidential all information con¬ 
tained in messages transmitted by the company. 

The urgency of all telegraphic communications. 

The reasons why the patron is always assumed to be in the 
right. 

Health and hygiene. 

The importance of good health as a factor in success. 

The value of a neat appearance. 

What constitutes a neat appearance. 

Simple everyday health rules. 

The importance of proper food. How to select a good meal. 

« 

The demands of good citizenship. 

The duty of cooperation. 

The duty of participation. 

The duty of contribution. 

A definite aim.—“Men continually fail for lack of a definite 
aim. The man who is perpetually hesitating which of two 
things he will do first, will do neither. The man who re¬ 
solves but suffers his resolution to be changed by the first 
counter-suggestion of a friend—who fluctuates from plan to 
plan and veers like a weather-cock to every breath of caprice 
that blows—can never accomplish anything real or useful. 
It is only the man who first consults wiselv, then resolves 
firmly, and then executes his purpose with inflexible perse- 
verence, undismayed by those petty difficulties that daunt 
a weaker spirit, that can advance to eminence in any line. ’ ’ 
—William Wirt. 

“He profits most who serves best.” (The Rotary Slogan.) 


130 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


The Telegraph Company’s Responsibilities. 

Safe, sanitary, and pleasant working conditions. 

Care in case of accident, sickness, or old age. 

A day’s pay for a day’s work. 

Opportunity for study and advancement. 

How the employee’s company discharges its responsibilities. 
Accident, sickness, disability, and death benefits. 

Medical and nursing service. 

Rest rooms. 

Pensions. 

Vacations with pay. 

Income participation. 


BOOKS AND MAGAZINES DEALING WITH TELEGRAPHY 

BOOKS 

History of the Telegraph. 

Maury & Maury. American Inventions and Inventors. Silver, 
Burdett & Co. 

Section VI, Chapter V, The Telegraph. 

Section VI, Chapter VI, The Atlantic Cable. 

Especially suited to youths. 

Reid, James D. The Telegraph in America. Telegraph and Tele¬ 
phone Age, New York. 

A history of American telegraph companies and men con¬ 
nected with them. 

Vail, J. C. American Electro-Magnetic Telegraphy. Hine Bros., 
100 William St., New York. 

The early history of the telegraph as shown by extracts from 
the letters and journals of Alfred Vail. 

The Western Union Telegraph Company. The Telegraph. 

An interesting and well illustrated pamphlet dealing with 
the history and present development of the telegraph. 
Written for the layman. 

Telegraph. Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 

Under the word ‘ ‘ Telegraph, ’ ’ Part I, Land and Submarine 
Telegraphy, see the sub-headings, Historical Sketch, Duplex 
Telegraphy, and Commercial Aspects. 



BOOKS AND MAGAZINES 


131 


Telegraphy. 

Dodge, G. M. The Telegraph Instructor. Telegraph and Tele¬ 
phone Age. 

Clear in explanation. Many illustrations. A book for the 
beginner. 

Maver and Davis. The Quadruplex. W. J. Johnston Co., New 
York. 

Pages 110-128 are devoted to an explanation of the Wheat¬ 
stone Automatic Telegraph. 

McNicol, D. American Telegraph Practice. McGraw-Hill Book 
Co. 

A comprehensive handbook. Presents a complete treatment 
of every phase of telegraphy. 

Meadowcroft, William H. A B C of Electricity. Telegraph and 
Telephone Age. 

Basic principles of electrical science. Endorsed by Thomas 
A. Edison. 

Western Union Multiplex System. Telegraph and Telephone Age. 
A pamphlet describing the Western Union printing tele¬ 
graph system. 

The Telegraph Service. 

Every junior employee of a telegraph company and every teacher 
of junior employees of telegraph companies should be thor¬ 
oughly familiar with the contents of the four pamphlets de¬ 
scribed below. These pamphlets are published and distributed 
by the Western Union Telegraph Company. 

Choosing a Career. 

This pamphlet discusses the Western Union service as a career. 
It is interestingly written and well illustrated. 

The Telegraph in Selling. 

Describes and illustrates many ways in which the telegraph 
has been used effectively in selling various commodities. 

The Telegraph in Direct Advertising. 

Tells briefty how the telegraph has been used in direct adver¬ 
tising. 

The Telegraph Gets Results. 

Relates instances of effective application of the telegraph in 
selling, advertising, purchasing, in making collections, and in 
the general conduct of business. 


132 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Wireless. 

Ashley and Hayward. Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony. 
American School of Correspondence, Chicago. 

A practical and understandable presentation. 

Kennedy. Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony. Moffat, Yard 
and Co., New York. 

An elementary treatise. Easier to read than most books on 
the subject. 

• ^ 

Biography. 

Hubert, G. M. Inventors. Scribner’s. Chapter V—S. F. B. 
Morse. 

Very readible. Some illustrations. 

Morse, E. L. Samuel F. B. Morse. Houghton, Mifflin Co. 

Two volumes, containing the letters and journals of S. F. B. 
Morse, edited by his son. 


Accounting. 

A Uniform System of Accounts for Telegraph and Cable Com¬ 
panies. 

Compiled by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Pre¬ 
scribes a uniform system of numbered accounts for tele¬ 
graph and cable companies. Lists the items which should 
be debited and credited to each account. 


Health and Hygiene. 

Allen, AY. H. Civics and Health. Ginn and Co. 

Bases efficient citizenship on health and sug’gests curative 
and preventive measures. 

Bussey, G. I). A Manual of Personal Hygiene. Ginn. 

Discusses ventilation, eating, care of the teeth, hair, nose, 
and throat. 

Tolman and Guthrie. Hygiene for the Worker. American Book 
Co. 

Has chapters on preparing for the day’s work, suitable 
clothing, food and drink, fatigue, etc. 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


133 


Good Citizenship. 

Coe, Fannie E. Heroes of Everyday Life. Ginn. 

Graphic accounts of heroism displayed in the discharge of 
duty. The Telegraph Operator, pages 26-39. 

Finch, C. E. Everyday Civics. American Book Co. 

Not to give information but to lead pupils to investigate, 
study, and act upon the problems of community life, is the 
purpose of this book. 

Hill, H. C. Community Life and Civic Problems. Ginn. 

Part III, entitled Industrial Society, has some material of 
special interest to telegraph employees. 

Fifteen Lessons in Thrift. Savings Division, U. S. Treasury De¬ 
partment. 

(Obtainable in California from the District Director, Sav¬ 
ings Division, U. S. Treasury Department, 315 Battery St., 
San Francisco.) 

Hughes, R. O. Economic Civics. Allyn and Bacon. 

Has excellent chapters on the things we need, the things we 
want, producing things, modern business, and making living 
conditions better. 


MAGAZINES 

Telegraph and Telephone Age. (Published semi-monthly at 253 
Broadway, New York. 20 cents per copy, $2.00 per year.) 

An excellent magazine for all interested in the fields of wire, 
and wireless, telegraphy and telephony. 

Journal of Electricity. San Francisco, Cal. 

The August, 1920, number contains an excellent and very inter¬ 
esting account of “Modern Telegraph Service.” It has several 
good illustrations of the Traffic Department and its equipment 
in the Western Union offices in San Francisco. It describes 
the history of a telegram and the workings of one of the most 
modern telegraph offices in the world. 


CLASSES OF DOMESTIC MESSAGES 


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136 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


VOCABULARY OF TERMS USED IN THE TELEGRAPH BUSINESS 


Accepted at sender’s risk 

Addressee 

Alternative address 

Application blank 

Auditing department 

Automatic circuit 

Battery- 

Belt system 

Black 

Blue 

Blue tag 

Branch operator 

Bust message 

Cablegram 

C A K 

Call circuit service 
Check 

Cipher message 
Class of service 
Clock service 
Code message 
Collect card 
Collect message 
Collect register 
Commercial department 
Commercial news dispatch 
Complimentary frank 
Day letter 
Day message 
Deadhead 
Delivery charges 
Delivery guaranteed 
Delivery notice 
Delivery sheet 
Delivery supervisor 
Deferred half rate 
Destination 
Drop 

Duplex circuit 
Errand service 
Extra words 
Pour-star point 
Frank 

Full-rate cablegram 
Guard word 
Guarantee deposit 
Identification card 
Land line 
Message blank 
Messenger call register 
Messenger record blank 
Messenger service 
Money message 
Money transfer service 
Morse instrument 
Multiple circuit 
Multiple transmission 
Multiplex receiving instrument 
Multiplex sending instrument 


Night letter 
Night message 
Nite 

Off-line representative 
One-star point 
Operating capacity 
Operating department 
Other line charge 
Other line point 
Payee 

Personal identification 
Pick-up 

Plant department 

Press message 

Private branch exchange 

Quadruplex 

Radiogram 

Rate 

Rate sheet 

Received number sheet 
Relay point 
Relief work 
Report delivery 
Route aid 
Route clerk 
Route distributor 
Route supervisor 
Sender 

Sending marks 
Sending office 
Sent number sheet 
Sequence sheet 
Service department 
Service message 
Service request 
Skeleton message 
Special delivery 
Square sheet 
State rate 
Subject to delay 
Tariff 

Tariff circular 

Tariff supplement 

Telegram 

This line charge 

Three-star point 

Ticker 

Time card 

Time clock 

Time service 

Tolls 

Traffic department 
Trick 

Trunk circuit 
Two-star point 
Waiving identification 
Way circuit 
Weekend letter 
Wheatstone system 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


137 


SUGGESTED LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 

The four groups of lessons on the following pages were derived 
from the analysis of the job of messenger which will be found on 
pages 25 to 38 of this bulletin. No attempt has been made to make 
any group complete or to treat any lesson exhaustively. Only a few 
outstanding facts have been singled out for treatment in each lesson. 
A number of lessons have been developed fully for purposes of illus¬ 
tration, to show how the topics chosen are related to the work which 
messengers are doing, and to serve as a guide to instructors in organ¬ 
izing additional lessons. The material for the additional suggested 
lessons, for those which have been outlined only, and for any others, 
may be found by reference to the analysis of the job, to the Back¬ 
ground Topics listed on pages 121 to 129 of this bulletin, to the list of 
Books and Magazines on pages 130 to 132 of this bulletin, and by con¬ 
ferences with officers of the telegraph company. 

For convenience the lessons have been played in the following 
groups—Occupational Background, Efficiency and Promotion, Citizen¬ 
ship, and Health and Hygiene. 

Occupational Background Group 

The lessons in this group take into consideration two facts; first, 
that the messenger is in the employ of a telegraph company; second, 
that the relationship between the messenger and the company is a con¬ 
tractual or business relationship. Accordingly, there are two aims. 
The first aim is to enrich and broaden the messenger’s knowledge of 
the history, organization, extent, and importance of the company for 
which he is working. The second aim is to give the messenger an 
understanding of a few of the more simple moral and legal obligations 
which arise out of the relationship which obtains between himself and 
the telegraph company. 


List of Lessons 

1. The Departments of a Telegraph Company. 

2. The Geographic Organization of a Telegraph Company. 

3. The Relative Importance of the Telegraph. 

4. The Economic Importance of the Telegraph. 

5. The Telegraph in Business. 

6. Agreements. 

7. Contracts of Minors. 

8. The Contract for Personal Service. 

9. The Obligations of an Employee. 

10. The Obligations of an Employer. * 


138 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Additional Suggested Lessons 

1. The Telegraph as a Government Aid. 

2. History of the Western Union. 

3. Geographic Extent of the AVestern Union. 

4. The Postal and Other Telegraph Companies. 

5. The Legal Status of the Telegraph Company. 

6. The Principles of AVire Telegraphy. 

7. Recent Developments in AVire and AVireless Message Trans¬ 

mission. 

Lesson 1. The Departments of a Telegraph Company. 

Introduction 

Did you ever notice a telegraph pole being replaced by a new one? 
Did you ever see a loose telegraph wire being put back in place ? AVho 
tends to such matters ? The telegraph company, yes; but who in the 
company ? The men who do this repair work all belong to one depart¬ 
ment of the company. AVhat is the department called? Name some 
of the jobs' which are handled by the Plant Department. (See page 
17.) What sort of training must men have who direct this work? 
If you wanted to work in this department of the company, what 
would you have to study? AVhat does a telegraph engineer have to do ? 

A messenger takes in money for collect telegrams and for errand 
service, and sometimes for paid messages. To whom does he turn over 
the money? Thousands of messengers are taking in money in small 
amounts all over the country every day in the year. Because so much 
money is collected in small amounts in so many telegraph offices, a 
very careful check must be kept of the business of each telegraph 
office. How does a big organization manage this checking of business 
transactions? What is such a department called? (See page 17.) 
What records from your local office go to the Accounting Department ? 
If you do not know, the manager of your office will be glad to tell 
you.' What would you have to learn if you wished to change to the 
Accounting Department ? Which employee in a local office does work 
which is closely connected with that of the Accounting Department 
at division headquarters? 

AVhat are some of the jobs in your department? What other work 
is done by your office besides accepting and delivering telegrams? 
AVhat department at division headquarters has supervision over offices 
such as the one in which you are employed? AVhat are some of the 
things which you should learn to do for promotion in your office? 
What are some of the best jobs in the department, jobs to which it 
would be worth ycftar while to work up? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


139 


What is the most important work of a telegraph company—the 
only reason for the existence of a telegraph company ? What depart¬ 
ment in the division headquarters has charge of this work ? What are 
some of the other duties of this department? (See page 12.) What 
is the most helpful thing yon could learn that would give you an open¬ 
ing in the Traffic Department? Can you become a manager of any 
office without being able to do the work of an operator? What oppor¬ 
tunity does the company offer you to learn Morse operating? Why 
does the company do this? Is it to your interest, as well as to the 
interest of the company, that you become an operator? 


Questions for Discussion 

1. A business with such a large organization and so many departments 

has work for people with many different interests and abilities. 
Which department interests you most? 

2. How can you work toward the position you wish in that depart¬ 

ment ? 

3. If you are working as a messenger and are interested in the work 

of the Traffic Department, would it be worth your while to seek 
the assistance of your manager? 

4. Why is a manager always willing to help an employee who is study¬ 

ing for promotion in his own department, or even for transfer 
to another department? 

5. Why is it that doing your own job well is the biggest help for pro¬ 

motion, even to an entirely different kind of work ? 


Lesson 2. The Geographic Organization of a Telegraph Company. 

Introduction 

We learned in the last lesson (Departments of a Telegraph Com¬ 
pany) that the work of a telegraph company was performed by four 
large departments. Each division of a telegraph company has these 
four departments, and we learned something about the kind of work 
which each department performs. We have now to learn about the 
divisions of a telegraph company and why they are necessary. 

You have all heard of the “home office” or “headquarters” of the 
Western Union Telegraph Company in New York. What is meant by 
the expression “home office?” Why is a home office necessary? 


140 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Suppose during a storm the line gets out of order somewhere 
between Laramie and Cheyenne in Wyoming or between Marysville 
and Live Oak in California. Why should not the home office in New 
York be called upon to attend to the matter of sending out men to 
locate and repair the damage ? 

How many thousands of Western Union Telegraph Company offices 
are there in the United States? How far is it from New York to San 
Diego, California; to Bellingham, Washington; to Key West, Florida? 
Why could not one office supervise the work of all these offices? 

To supervise closely the work of thousands of large and small 
offices throughout the country would be an. impossible task for any 
one office, for most of them would be several thousands of miles from 
that office. But the work of a telegraph company, coming into so 
many thousands of offices and being handled by so many thousands 
of employees, requires the closest kind of supervision and the most 
careful management. 

In order that the work of directing and supervising may be done 
carefully and thoroughly, the company divides the country into eight 
geographic divisions. Each division has its own headquarters office 
with officers in charge of each of the four departments. Many of the 
divisions are so large and do so much business that they, in turn, are 
divided again into districts. And besides the districts, there are in 
each division certain important cities which have offices independent 
of the district. The managers of these offices report not to the district 
offices but directly to the division offices. The city and district officers 
are held responsible for the work in their territory by the officers in 
the division headquarters. The officers in charge of the four depart¬ 
ments in each division are, in turn, held responsible for the work 
under them by the vice-presidents in charge of the corresponding 
departments in the home office. 

Over all the departments in the home office, unifying the company 
into a single great organization, stands the President, the Executive 
Committee, and the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors 
appoints its Executive Committee and the President, It is elected 
by the stockholders, who are the owners of the company. 

Such, in brief, is the organization of the company for which you 
are working, the company of which you form an important part, 
especially since it allows you to share in its earnings every year in 
addition to paying you for your services. Such is the organization of 
your company, the company which some of you will some day surely 
help to manage, and about which you should, therefore, know a great 
deal. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


141 


Questions for Discussion 

1. What are the advantages to an employee of knowing about the 

organization of the company of which he is a part? 

2. Why should an employee understand the organization and the 

work of his department? Would such knowledge tend to make 
his promotion more rapid, provided he was doing his own job 
well ? 

3. Discuss some of the ways in which the work of one department of 

a telegraph company is influenced by the work of all the other 
departments. 

4. If your department does its work poorly, how does it affect the 

work of the other departments? 


Lesson 3. The Relative Importance of the Telegraph. 

Introduction 

How many methods of long-distance communication (over 400 
miles, for example) can you name? .Group them in the order of 
widest use, placing the most used method first, the next second, and 
so on. Where does the telegraph stand in the list? Make a similar 
list, placing the least expensive method first, the next expensive sec¬ 
ond, etc. Where does the telegraph stand in this list? If you take 
away 11 mail” from the top of each list and think only of communica¬ 
tion by the use of electricity, where does the telegraph stand in each 
list? What connection is there between least cost and widest use? 
Why, then, is the mail not always used ? 

Questions for Discussion 

1. Why is the telephone used in preference to the telegraph for house- 

to-house communication? State at least two reasons. 

2. Why is the telegraph less expensive than the telephone in long¬ 

distance communication? 

3. What is the chief use of the radiotelegraph ? Why is it not used for 

the purposes for which a telegraph is used? 

4. How are other methods of message transmission sometimes used as 

aids to telegraphy? 


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5. State some of the services performed by a telegraph company which 

are not performed by telephone or cable companies. (See page 
123.) Why is it that telephone and cable companies do not 
perform these services? 

6. What reasons have employees of telegraph companies to be proud 

of their work? 


Lesson 4. The Economic Importance of the Telegraph. 

Introduction 

Most of us will agree with the man who said, ‘‘Of all inventions, 
the Alphabet and Printing Press alone excepted, those which abridge 
distance have done the most for civilization." What does “abridging 
distance” mean? 

In the olden days an important message could be carried 500 miles 
in about 50 hours by many relays of rapidly driven stage coaches. 
How long does it take a fast train to travel the same distance today? 
An automobile on good roads could carry the message the same distance 
in about how many hours ? An aeroplane in a race against time would 
probably get there is how many hours? 

In the space of a hundred years, distance has been shortened to 
less than one-tenth of its former extent by improvements in methods 
of transportation. Why is the saving of time in transportation so 
important ? 

Great as have been the inventions which have' made transportation 
more rapid, even more astounding have been the inventions which 
have improved our methods of message transmission. 

Have you ever seen a soldier or a boy scout wig-wagging a message 
with a flag in each hand? How far and how fast will the message 
travel? Did you ever notice the various colored light signals on 
railroads, each carrying one particular message? How far will the 
message go? 

The curling smoke from the signal fire of the Indian carries its 
message only so far as the eye can see, and can be used only to say 
a limited number of things. The same is true of the huge drum or 
the flashing of light from the mirrors of the black savages of Africa. 
The sender of the message can say only a few words and his message 
is limited to the range of the human eye or ear. 

There are more modern uses of these eye and ear methods of 
message transmission. Can you name some of them? (The list will 
include the whistle of the locomotive, the honk of the automobile horn, 
the clanging of the street car bell, traffic signals with arms, arrows, 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


143 


or lights, semaphore and light signals used on railroads, and the beacon 
lights which guide or warn the vessels approaching our coasts.) Why 
is accuracy so important in these methods of message transmission? 

Did you ever stretch a wire from the second story of two houses 
and pull a message or a note back and forth over the wire in a tin 
can, or make dots and dashes by using a light and a piece of card¬ 
board? Those messages which you sent traveled only a few feet. 
Today they can be sent around the world in almost the same time it 
took you to write the message and pull it over the wire to its destina¬ 
tion, or to make the dot and dash message with the light. It flows 
out over the telegraph wire and is at its destination in a few seconds. 
How much faster in minutes is the telegraph than the stage coach? 
How much faster than the mail train? How much faster than the 
aeroplane ? 

Why is time so very important in business? Is there any connec¬ 
tion between saving time and saving money? The man who gets there 
first usually gets the money. The telegram gets his message there 
faster than the letter. 

If there is a big flood or a fire and a city is in distress, the telegraph 
starts assistance to it immediately from the whole country. A manu¬ 
facturer decides to reduce the price of his car $200 on a certain day, 
but does not wish anybody to learn about the reduction before that 
time. How can lie be sure that every dealer in the whole country will 
receive his instructions at almost the same hour? Why is this im¬ 
portant from a business standpoint ? 

Questions for Discussion 

1. The manager of a real estate firm writes a letter which contains 

important information and instructions to a number of his 
agents. Later he discovers additional facts which make it 
important that the instructions be changed before the agents 
can act upon them. What can he do to prevent his agents from 
taking action on the letter? Write a telegram which he might 
send, telling his agents to disregard the instructions in the letter 
which they will soon receive. 

2. Can you mention other instances where the speed of the telegraphic 

message is of great importance in business? 

3. If one can get in touch with a person a thousand miles distant by 

telephone quicker than by telegraph, why is it that the tele¬ 
graph is used so much more frequently for long distance com¬ 
munication ? 

4. What two characteristics make the telegram a great money saver? 


144 


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Lesson 5. The Telegraph in Business. 

Introduction 

What is the cheapest and therefore the most widely used means of 
long-distance communication? Name some of the uses which business 
makes of the United States mail service. Many people use the tele¬ 
graph only once or twice in a lifetime. What kind of messages do 
they send at these times? These are the only uses which thousands 
and thousands of people ever make of the telegraph, no matter whether 
they are in business or not. Why not use the mails, instead, for these 
purposes ? 

The only telegrams which many people receive are messages con¬ 
cerning death, marriage, birth, severe illness, and other unusual 
matters where speed and accuracy count more than anything else. 
So we have all come to feel that a telegram contains an important 
message, that it would be used only for an extremely important com¬ 
munication. In a hurry to catch a train, or to get to a theatre on 
time, you have often thrust a letter unopened into your pocket. Did 
you ever thrust an unopened telegram into 3 r our pocket? 

In recent years the telegraph has come into much wider use in 
business communication, replacing communication by letter. Why do 
you suppose wide-awake business men have begun to use the tele¬ 
graph in place of the letter ? Because a telegram gets results, because 
it is always read, because it is a speedy messenger, business men often 
put it to unusual uses. 


Questions for Discussion 

1. Name some of the advantages of a telegram over an ordinary letter 

in collecting overdue accounts. 

2. Give as many reasons as you can why it would be better to send out 

1000 telegrams rather than 1000 letters to announce the opening 
of a new restaurant; to announce a special New Year’s dinner. 
Could the restaurant owner write one telegram and have it sent 
to 1000 people? Compare the cost of the thousand telegrams 
with a thousand letters. Compare the probable results. 

3. How might a department store make use of a large number of tele¬ 

grams in announcing its January clearance sale? Why would 
this method of advertising be more effective than a circular 
letter ? 

4. How might a hotel use the telegraph with good results to attract 

guests during a bankers’ convention? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


145 


5. An automobile firm recently sent out 45,000 night letters to its 

dealers all over the country, announcing a reduction in the 
price of the car to take effect upon receipt of the message. 
Why didn't the firm send out 45,000 letters instead ? 

6. Why should messengers and other junior employees of telegraph 

companies know of these unusual ways of using the telegraph 
in business? 

7. See also suggestions under “The Telegraph in Business,” page 124. 

Lesson 6. Agreements. 

Introduction 

In our everyday business life we make many agreements, or bar¬ 
gains. Most people try to live up to their agreements, but once in a 
while some one breaks his promise, or tries to get out of living up to 
his bargain. Sometimes he is able to do this because the bargain was 
not made in the right way. An agreement or bargain which the law 
will enforce is called a contract. 

Since people sometimes try to get out of living up to their agree¬ 
ments, it is important for all of us to know what is necessary to make 
an agreement or bargain binding upon those who enter into it. An 
agreement, in order to be binding, does not, except in a few cases, 
need to be in writing. Many agreements by word of mouth (oral 
agreements) are just as binding as written agreements, if they can 
be proved. Of course, it is much easier to prove a written agreement 
than an oral agreement, so a wise person sees to it that any agreement 
of much importance is put into writing and signed. 

Besides written agreements and oral agreements, there are others 
which we enter into simply by our actions. For example, when we 
borrow our neighbor’s hammer or saw without asking him for it, our 
action is the same as a promise to return the article to the owner. 
People sometimes think they have made an agreement which will bind 
the other person when they really have not. In order that an agree¬ 
ment shall be binding (enforceable) several things are necessary. 

First, there must be a definite offer and an acceptance of that offer. 
For example, “I’ll sell you this book for $1.50.” That is an offer. 
If you say, “All right, I’ll take it,” if you hand over the money, or 
if you take the book, you accept the offer. 

Second, those making the agreement must be fit, or able to make 
it. The law will not allow some people to bind themselves by agree¬ 
ments, or if they do make business agreements, will not allow the other 
person to hold them to the agreements against their wills. An insane 


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person, for example, cannot make a binding agreement. More will 
be said about this in the next lesson. 

Third, one of the persons must do something which he otherwise 
would not have to do, in return for what the other person offers or 
promises, For example, John’s aunt promised that if he would live 
with her until he was twenty-two years old she would pay him five 
hundred dollars. If John lives with her until that date his aunt 
must pay him, for he has done something which he was not bound to 
do, relying upon her promise. 

Fourth, the agreement must be to do something which is lawful. 
If the agreement is about something which is unlawful, neither person 
is bound by it. An agreement to steal money and then divide it would 
not be binding, neither would an agreement to prevent one person 
from marrying another, or an agreement to tell the contents of a cer¬ 
tain telegram. It is right to break an agreement of that kind if one 
has been unfortunate enough to make it. 

Fifth, the agreement must be made without misunderstanding, 
trickery, threat, or force. A points a pistol at B and says, “Sign this 
paper or I’ll shoot you.” B doesn’t want that pistol to go off, so he 
signs an agreement to sell his new automobile for $200. If B can 
prove that he was threatened, the agreement cannot be enforced 
against him. 

If an agreement lacks any one of these five requirements the law 
will not hold a person to it. If an agreement satisfies all these require¬ 
ments it is binding and is called a contract. A whole book could be 
written to explain and illustrate each of these five essentials of a bind¬ 
ing agreement. It is very important that we should know what they 
are and something about them, for we all, at some time or other, make 
many agreements. These agreements are often very important to us. 
If they are not made properly and the other party can avoid them, it 
may cause us much loss. 

Questions for Discussion 

1. A says to B, “I’ll sell you my lot on East 24th for $500 cash.” B 
accepts the offer, pays the money, and takes a receipt. A lias 
in mind a lot on East 24th Avenue; B thinks he is buying a 
lot on East 24th Street, which he had been told belonged to A. 
When the papers are being drawn up B discovers that A is 
selling him a lot on East 24th Avenue, so he takes the case to 
court to try to get out of the agreement. What would you 
decide if you were the judge? Give your reasons. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


147 


2. A says to B, “I’ll sell you my bicycle for $18.” B says, “I’ll give 

you $12.” A says, “Not a cent under sixteen.” B says, “I’ll 
give fifteen.” A says, “Sixteen or nothing.” B turns to go, 
when A says, “Well, you can have it for the fifteen.” B is 
angry and says, “I wouldn’t take it at five, now.” Was there 
really an offer and acceptance at fifteen dollars, which could be 
enforced ? Why ? If there is an offer and acceptance, of course 
B is bound to take the bicycle and pay $15, if the agreement 
is enforceable in other respects. 

3. John was smoking and it was having a bad effect on his health. 

One day his uncle made him the following proposition, “John, 
if you stop smoking from now until you are twenty-one, I’ll 
hand you a check for five hundred dollars on your twenty-first 
birthday. ’ ’ John shook hands with him on the proposition, and 
lived up to the bargain for the three years until he became of 
age. On his twenty-first birthday he reminded his uncle of the 
bargain. Would John have a good case against his uncle if he 
had to go to court in an eifort to collect the money? Give 
reasons for your answer. 

4. Try to give an illustration, other than the one in the explanatory 

material, where a person makes an agreement simply by his 
actions. 

5. Write an agreement between two people. 

6. What is the agreement between you and the company for which 

you are working? What do you agree to do? What does the 
company agree to do ? 


Lesson 7. Contracts of Minors. 

Introduction 

We learned in the last lesson that a contract is an agreement or 
bargain which is binding upon those who make it. We also learned 
that some of the contracts of minors cannot be enforced against them. 

A minor is anyone “under age” In all states boys are under age 
until they are twenty-one. In a few states girls are under age only 
until they are eighteen. When are girls no longer under age in your 
own state? When a person is no longer under age he is said to be 
“of age,” or to have “attained his majority.” 

Minors make many contracts, some of which are very important. 
The law tries to protect a minor who makes a contract so that he may 


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not. be imposed upon by older and more experienced persons. Know¬ 
ing* this, minors should, in case of need, ask the advice of some able 
and reliable person. The following examples show the protection the 
law gives minors in this regard. 

A man by the name of Woltner advertised several bargains in 
bicycles. Henry Adams, a minor, wanted very much to own a bicycle, 
but had not been able to afford one. When visiting Woltner’s shop 
he was persuaded to buy one of the bicycles for $20.00. He paid $5.00 
down to hold the machine and promised to return the next morning 
with the balance. He learned later that the bicycle was worth little 
more than half the price. Henry returned to the shop and demanded 
the return of the five dollars. The shopkeeper had no choice but 
to return the money. The law was clearly against him. Even if 
Henry had paid the twenty dollars and had taken the bicycle home, 
he could have returned it later and demanded the return of his money. 
Whv is this the case ? 

Since minors may avoid certain agreements with other persons, 
older people are often very reluctant to enter into agreements with 
minors. John Wilson, a minor, wished to buy a flashlight costing $3.50. 
He agreed to pay $1.50 down and the balance on the first of the month. 
The shop keeper refused to sell the flashlight except for cash, even 
though he knew the boy, saying that it was not a matter of personal 
feeling but of policy. Was he justified in that attitude? Why? 

Minors often enter into contracts for food, lodging, clothes, and 
medical aid, either for themselves, or, if they are married, for their 
families. If a minor owes money for any of these things he must pay 
for them, provided they are really necessities and provided the charge 
has been reasonable. Of course, if a minor were furnished with suf¬ 
ficient food, lodging, clothing, and medical aid by his parents, he could 
not be held liable on a contract to buy additional food, clothing, etc. 

A minor, who was attending school awa}^ from home, engaged a 
room at fifteen dollars per month for a term of five months. At the 
end of two weeks he found a better room for less money and moved. 
The first landlady could not hold him to his contract for the five 
months. She had furnished him a necessity (lodging) for two weeks, 
and could claim a reasonable payment for the service for that length 
of time, only. 

You have seen that the law tries to protect minors in making con¬ 
tracts, as long as the}^ are minors. Sometimes, however, a minor may 
enter into a contract which continues in force after he becomes of age. 
The contract may be avoided or it may be made binding after the 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


149 


minor becomes of age. If lie shows, by words or actions, that he 
wishes to avoid the contract, it is no longer binding upon him. If 
he shows by words or actions that he considers the contract binding, 
it is then just as binding as though he had made it after becoming of 
age. 

If a minor negligently injures another person, or negligently 
damages the property of another person he is liable for damages just 
as an adult would be. 

Questions and Problems 

1. Name some other classes of people besides minors who, you think, 

should not always be held to their contracts. 

2. In riding a bicycle through the streets, a messenger boy, seventeen 

years old, negligently injured a pedestrian. Is the messenger 
liable for damages? Why? 

3. A, who was a minor, traded motorcycles with B, who was an adult. 

A later realized that he had the worst of the bargain. Can he 
compel B to trade back? Could B compel A to trade back if 
he so desired? 

4. A minor borrowed $35.00 with which to buy a suit of clothes. 

Under what circumstances can the man who loaned him the 
money compel him to repay it? 

5. Will Demming, when he was eighteen, bought a large lot in a cer¬ 

tain city, paying $300 for it. For three years, or until he was 
twenty-one, he rented the lot for gardening purposes at $30 a 
year. This rent money he used partly to pay the taxes on the 
lot. The remainder he placed in his savings account. When 
he became of age he wanted to move to another city. He 
therefore asked the man from whom he had purchased the lot 
to take it back and return him the $300. Can he compel the 
man to return the $300, even though he has made money on 
the lot? 

6. Is there sometimes a moral obligation when there is no legal obliga¬ 

tion to fulfill a contract ? 

Lesson 8. The Contract for Personal Service. 

Introduction 

There are many different kinds of contracts which are made in the 
daily conduct of business. They are alike in that they must all com¬ 
ply with the requirements of an enforceable agreement which you 


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learned in the lesson about Agreements. Contracts differ according 
to purpose, time, and subject. One contract may be to sell an article, 
another may be a contract to buy an article, and still another may be 
to trade one article for another. A contract may arise out of borrow¬ 
ing money and signing a note promising its repayment. A contract 
may be entered into by two people to become partners, another may 
be to carry a passenger or to transport freight, to transmit and deliver 
a telegram, to sell land, or to furnish board and lodging. The par¬ 
ticular contract which we wish to discuss is the contract for personal 
service. 

When one person agrees to work for another the agreement which 
they make is called a contract for personal service. The one who 
agrees to work is called the employee, the one who agrees to hire the 
worker is called the employer. You will remember that all the require¬ 
ments of an enforceable agreement must be met. 

1. There must be an offer and acceptance. When one applies for 
a job he offers to work. When the other person hires him the offer is 
accepted. The hours, wages, and length of service may be discussed 
and agreed upon, or they may be understood by both parties to the 
agreement. Many mistakes and misunderstandings occur in regard 
to these matters, because the two parties do not discuss them. 

2. The parties must be able to make a contract. If a person who 
was drunk or insane made a contract to work, he would be able to 
avoid carrying out his promise, if he so desired. A contract to work 
is not a contract for necessities of life, so a minor who makes such a 
contract may legally avoid it, if he so desires. For example, if a minor 
has agreed to work on a certain job for a month he can quit at any 
time and his employer has no further claim against him. Of course, 
if a minor pursued such a course, without a good reason, he would 
soon find that nobody would hire him, for it costs an employer time 
and money to hire and “break in” a new employee. 

3. One of the parties must do something which he otherwise would 
not have to do in return for the promise of the other party. In a con¬ 
tract for personal service, that is, a contract for work, the offer to 
work for another in return for the promise of the other party to pay 
the agreed wage satisfies this requirement. 

4. The agreement must be to do something which is lawful. Some 
contracts for personal service might not be lawful. For example, an 
agreement to work for a month, assisting a bootlegger, would not be 
enforceable, because the purpose of the contract would be illegal. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


151 


5. The agreement must be made without mistake, trickery, threat, 
or force. If a person thought that he was being hired to drive a 
truck, when in reality he was hired to drive a team of horses, it would 
be a case of mistake or misunderstanding and there would be no agree¬ 
ment. 

There may also be many different contracts for personal service. 
The fact that a person is holding a job, or working for another, means 
that the two have entered into an agreement in regard to the matter. 
That agreement may be either oral or in writing; but by the terms 
of the agreement each party promised to do certain things. 

Questions for Discussion 

1. You are working at a certain job. What did you, as employee, 

agree to do when you took the job ? List the things you agreed 
to do in one, two, three order. 

2. What did the company which hired you agree to do? List these 

promises also in one, two, three order. 

3. Why are the promises made by an employee of a telegraph company 

much more important than those made by emplo} r ees of many 
other companies? 

4. Write a short contract in which A agrees to work for B as motor¬ 

cycle messenger at the rate of $4.00 per day. Try to state it 
in such a way that neither party will misunderstand any point. 
First say what A promises and then what B promises. Make 
out two copies. A is supposed to keep one copy and B the 
other. 


Lesson 9. The Obligations of an Employee. 

Introduction 

When one person agrees to work for another he has certain rights 
in return for his work. The chief of these are the right to a wage 
and to safe, sanitary, and pleasant working conditions. In return 
for these rights the employee places himself under certain obligations. 
Since many thousands of young people work for others, it is important 
that they know something about their obligations. These obligations 
are the things their employers are entitled to receive from them. 

First and foremost, perhaps, is the obligation or duty to do an 
honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That is the principal 
thing an employee agrees to do. There is a certain piece of work to 
be done and he agrees to do it. He agrees to do the whole job—not 
half of it. 


152 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Next, the employee agrees to show good faith. That is, he agrees 
to “play fair"’ with his employer, to work at all times for the best 
interests of the man or firm for which he is working. Any act which 
would hurt the business of the employer, or any act which would 
benefit a business rival at the expense of his employer, would be a 
failure to show good faith. 

Third, the person who takes a job agrees to be honest in his deal¬ 
ings with his employer. This agreement is not usually put in writing 
nor even mentioned. It is taken for granted, but it is a very important 
part of the agreement between employer and employee. 

Fourth, the employee is supposed to follow instructions. That 
means that he should do the things which he is told to do, in the way 
in which he is told to do them. Often an employee does not pay strict 
attention to instructions which are given him, and the result may be 
harmful to three parties: it always harms the employer because he 
is paying for good work and not getting it; it may harm a third party, 
through a delayed message, for example; and it always harms the 
employee, for the habit of negligence and inattention grows with 
surprising rapidity. A negligent or inattentive employee can seldom 
advance far with his company. 

Fifth, the employee is supposed to work as long as he agreed to. 
If he agreed to work for one month or one year he should not quit 
before that time. Very often employees are hired for no definite 
time. However, in such cases the emplo 3 r ee is supposed to give his 
employer a reasonable notice of his intention to quit. 

Sixth, the employee is supposed to respect the property of his 
employer. This means that he should not mark up walls, throw 
books, or carelessly leave them lying about. It means that he should 
use tools and implements for the purposes for which they are intended. 
For example, a bench is made to sit on. Cutting initials in it makes 
it much less valuable. That is an illustration of not respecting the 
employer’s property. 

Questions for Discussion 

1. A, a man 30 years of age, agreed to work for The Pacific Gas and 

Electric Company, for one year at $125 per month. At the 
end of eight months A quit without good cause. The company 
was forced to hire another person at $135 per month. Has the 
company a right to demand $40 damages from A ? 

2. If A were sixteen, would the legal obligation be the same? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


153 


3. Suppose that the company had discharged A without cause at the 
end of eight months, has A any legal claim against the com¬ 
pany? If A made no effort to get another job, has he a legal 
claim against the company ? Suppose A was able to get another 
job at only $115, does this alter his claim? If he was able to 
get another job at $125, after being idle for two months, has 
he any legal claim against the company? 


Lesson 10. The Obligations of the Employer. 

Introduction 

The last lesson dealt with the obligations of the employee, which 
is the same as saying with the rights of the employer. This lesson will 
take up the obligations of the employer, which are, of course, the 
rights of the one who is working for him. 

When a firm engages an employee it agrees to certain very im¬ 
portant things. One of these has to do with wages, that is, with the 
payment agreed upon for the service. Generally the law will con¬ 
sider the wage agreed upon as a just wage for the work done, though 
that is not always so in the case of wages paid to minors. Most con¬ 
cerns are just in this matter, but because a few are not some states 
have passed laws which say that the weekly wage of minors shall not 
be below a certain figure. The agreement of the employee was to 
give an honest day’s work. For that the employer agrees to give an 
honest day’s pay. 

The next obligation of the employer is to provide a safe and 
sanitary place for his employees to work. This agreement is not put 
in writing, but it is understood just as well as the agreement of the 
employee to be honest with the man for whom he is working. Em¬ 
ployers used to be so careless in this matter that in nearly every state 
working conditions are now regulated by law. Safe and sanitary 
working conditions are so important for workers, especially for young 
workers, that states felt they should take the matter into their own 
hands instead of leaving it to the judgment of employers. However, 
many firms recognize that it is one of their chief duties to provide 
for the comfort of their workers. So they go much farther than the 
state laws require and provide for their employees not only a safe 
and sanitary place in which to work, but also rest rooms, reading 
rooms, gymnasiums, shower baths, and many other conveniences. The 
firm for which you work probably provides many of these things. 
But there are other firms which are always ready to evade the law in 


154 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


this matter, and so it is well for employees to find out what the laws 
in their own state are in regard to it. What commission regulates 
these matters in your state? How can you obtain a copy of their 
regulations ? 

Another obligation of the employer is that of compensating an 
employee who is injured in the performance of his duties. Here again, 
the state laws take a hand in the matter and require the firm to pay 
a certain part of the injured employee’s wages during the time of his 
disability. Many firms go even farther than the law requires in dis¬ 
charging this obligation and pay their injured employees the whole 
or nearly the whole of their regular weekly wage during disability. 
These matters are regulated differently in each state. You should 
know the rules of your own state in regard to the matter. What com¬ 
mission regulates this matter in your state ? How can you get a copy 
of these regulations? 

There are other obligations of employers toward junior employees 
to which attention has been turned in recent years. One of these 
obligations is that of providing opportunity for their junior employees 
to study the business and work up in it as they are able. Another is 
in regard to schooling. Many junior employees have been forced to 
leave school in order to make a living for themselves or their families. 
The chances for rapid advancement and success are much better for 
one who has a good education than for one who has not. Some em¬ 
ployers, realizing this need, have organized schools for their employees. 
Many states have felt that this opportunity should be given to all 
young employees and have passed laws requiring employers to allow 
their employees, between the ages of 14 and 18, to go to school during 
a part of their working day. Here again, many employers have gone 
farther than the laws of the state require, in paying their emploj^ees 
for the time spent in school. Often they, themselves, come into the 
school and talk to the students on important matters connected with 
their business; and when openings come tliey select the diligent student 
and good worker for promotion. 

Questions for Discussion 

1. A boy, 15 years old, agrees to work from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with one 

hour off at noon. Can the employer require such hours of him 
in this state? 

2. A, while working for a firm, injured his hand on a splinter from the 

counter and had to have a finger amputated. What are the 
rights of A against his employer? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


155 


3. A telegraph messenger, while riding on a bicycle to deliver a mess¬ 

age, fell and broke an arm. What are the obligations of the 
telegraph company ? 

4. Make a list of the things which your own company does for the 

benefit of its employees which it does not have to do. 

Efficiency and Promotion Group 

While the first group of lessons is based upon the assumption that 
the messenger should have a richer background of information about 
the occupation as a whole, this group is related more closely to the 
particular job. 

The aim of these lessons is to make the messenger more efficient 
in the performance of his duties, thus increasing his value to the 
company and his chances for promotion. 

In the lesson “Delivering a Telegram” the attention of the messen¬ 
ger is directed to the fact that the things he is doing are not so simple 
as they seem and that there is a right and a wrong way of doing them. 
Many additional lessons could profitably be based upon other tasks 
of the messenger. 

The two lessons entitled “English” are intended to illustrate how 
training in oral and written English should be closely related to the 
general occupation and to the particular job. 

List of Lessons 

1. The Services of a Telegraph Company. 

2. Classes of Domestic Service. 

3. Domestic Word Count. 

4. Delivering a Telegram. 

5. The Lost Messenger (a Story). 

6. The Journey of a Telegram. 

7. Giving Additional Service. 

8. English (Classes of Service). 

9. English (Time Service). 

Additional Suggested Lessons 

1. English. (Many lessons based on the bulletins, pamphlets, pub¬ 

licity material, and tariff book of the telegraph company). 

2. Geography. (Many lessons on the location of countries, states and 

cities; time belts; location of Western Union and Postal trans¬ 
continental telegraph lines; terminal points and mid-ocean 
stations of Pacific, Atlantic, and South American cables. 


156 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


3. Classes of Foreign Service. (See Tariff Book and Tariff Supple¬ 

ment No. 11). 

4. Cable Count. (See Tariff Book and Tariff Supplement No. 11). 

5. How to Enter a Business Office. 

6. How to Make a Report. 

7. Extra Words. 

8. The Check of a Message. 

9. Duties and Qualifications of a Receiving Clerk. (See page 39.) 

10. Duties and Qualifications of a Delivery Clerk. (See page 66.) 

Lesson 1. The Services of a Telegraph Company. 

Introduction 

A telegraph company exists for two purposes—to serve the public 
and to make money for its owners. Of course, the two react in many 
wa 3 r s upon each other. We will not, in this lesson, discuss the money 
making purpose; we will leave it with the statement that a large and 
well organized telegraph company maintains many small offices which 
do not pay expenses, simply for the convenience of the public. Now 
let us consider carefully the other purpose, the main purpose of a 
telegraph company, that of serving the public. 

In how many ways does a telegraph company serve the public? 
You are surely familiar with two of the services-—the telegraph service 
and the messenger service. How many more are there? (See page 
123.) Now let us consider each of these classes of service a little more 
thoroughly. 

The Telegraph Service is not so limited as it once was. Did you 
know that for a good many years only one class of telegrams could 
be sent? That was the full-rate message, and the rate was very much 
fuller than it is now. This full-rate message is hurried to deliverv, 
day or night, in the quickest possible time. It is used for rush mess¬ 
ages where time is the most important consideration. 

The public soon began to demand telegrams at reduced rates in 
cases where time was not so all-important, but where it was desired, 
nevertheless, to get a service faster than the mail. The telegraph 
service was consequently broadened to include night messages, day 
letters, and night letters, all at rates lower than for the day message. 
The day message rates are taken as the basis for figuring the rates on 
the other three. The night message charge, like the day message 
charge, is based upon the rate for ten words or less. The night letter 
and day letter charges are based upon the rate for fifty words or less. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


157 


The Messenger Service, too, is more complete than one would at 
first suppose. Everyone knows some of the services which the messen¬ 
ger performs. What is the most important service of the messenger 
in small towns as well as in large ones? Suppose a man wants an 
important letter delivered to someone in a distant part of town. How 
can he secure this service without waiting for the mail ? Is this errand 
service performed in small towns as well as in larger towns and cities ? 
How many different kinds of errands is a messenger called upon to 
perform ? 

There is one kind of errand service very seldom used in small 
towns, but which is very important in larger towns and cities. Can 
you tell what it is? What is meant by the call circuit service, or 
pick-up service? 

The Money Transfer Service is another much used service of a 
telegraph company. By making use of this service one may transfer 
money to a person at almost any domestic or foreign point. Should 
one desire, he may include in the transfer telegram an order for 
goods, or any other business or personal communication. Many 
people do not know that by making the money transfer payable to 
the manager of the telegraph company the purchase and delivery of 
small articles at distant points may be arranged for. What are the 
various ways in which people transfer money to distant points? 

The Time Service furnishes to subscribers clocks of various de¬ 
sign, sizes, and styles at a small monthly rental. Why do people want 
Western Union clocks? Yes, they want them to tell time by, but there 
are other reasons. Name some of them. (See page 12.) How are 
Western Union clocks used for advertising purposes? Did you ever 
hear of the “time beat” service for jewelers? Why do jewelers use 
this service ? 

The Commercial News Service in various forms brings commercial 
news from all parts of the world to the office of the customer by 
messenger, private wire, or ticker, according to the locality and the 
requirements of the one arranging for the service. The information 
conveyed includes all kinds of market reports, reports on baseball and 
football games, automobile races, etc. Why does the company have a 
special service of this kind for commercial news? Why not handle 
the commercial news dispatches in the same manner as other messages ? 
In a few of the larger cities of the country quotations of the prices 
of stocks, commodities, and other financial and commercial news is 
furnished by a stock ticker, which is placed in the offices of merchants, 
brokers, and other business men whose business makes it worth while 
to pay for such service. 


158 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Similar to the Telegraph Service and closely connected with it is 
the Cable Service. The telegraph company receives and delivers mess¬ 
ages for the cable company. Like the day message, the fast regular 
cable message is used for communications of an urgent nature requir¬ 
ing quick transmission and delivery. The deferred half-rate cable 
message is used for communications of a less urgent nature. The cable 
letter is used for business and social communications which are not 
urgent but which should not be subject to the delay of oversea mail. 
The weekend letter is similar to the cable letter. It may be filed up 
to midnight Saturday for delivery the following Monday morning. 

In what places does most of the cable business originate? Why 
is it necessary that the telegraph company should cooperate? 

Questions for Discussion 

1. The telegraph company delivers most telegrams free of charge. 

Under what circumstances does the company make an extra 
charge for delivery? 

2. List the ways in which a telegram may reach the hands of the 

addressee. Under what circumstances is each of these wavs 
used ? 

3. Give a number of reasons why the errand service is important 

to the company. Why is it a good advertisement for the corn- 
pan}^ ? 

4. Why can the company afford to pay a messenger for pick-up work 

and still give that service free of charge to the sender? 

5. Why should every messenger know about the call circuit service 

of the company and be able to describe its advantages? 

6. Tell of some of the advantages of transferring money by telegraph 

in preference to other methods. 

7. Explain just how money is transferred by telegraph. 

8. What services does the Western Union give free of charge with 

its time service ? Why is it good business to give free service 
of this kind? 

9. What types of business in your community are especially inter¬ 

ested in the commercial news dispatches? 

10. If there are no stock tickers in your community, how do those 
interested get the commercial news which they desire ? How is 
the baseball news furnished by the telegraph company in your 
community ? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


159 


11. Which services does your company perform which are not per¬ 
formed by other telegraph companies? 

12. Can you think of other services which your company might profit¬ 

ably offer the public? Someone had to think of those which 
are now offered. 


Lesson 2. Classes of Domestic Service. 

Introduction 

In the first lesson we learned about the many services which a 
telegraph company performs. The most important of the services is, 
of course, transmitting domestic messages. Domestic messages are 
messages to points in the United States, Canada, Alaska, and Mexico. 
In this lesson we will take up more in detail the various classes of 
domestic service. Many patrons of the telegraph company do not 
know of these different classes of service. Messengers could often be 
of greater assistance to patrons and to the company if they understood 
clearly the distinction between these classes. 

Everyone handling the message should know at a glance what 
class of service the message should receive. To save time and space 
each class of service is given a certain designation or abbreviation. 
The designation for a full-rate telegram is Black, but it is not written. 
The omission of the designation indicates that the message is a full- 
rate telegram. All other designations are written. The table on 
page 134 shows the classes of domestic service, the designation of each, 
and other information. 

For the sake of completeness and for the purposes of reference, all 
classes of domestic messages have been included in this table. Messen¬ 
gers and other junior employees of telegraph companies should pay 
particular attention to the first five on the list, also to DTI and CAK 
messages, and to money messages. Why is this true? Are messengers 
apt to come in contact with persons sending these classes of messages 
more frequently than with persons sending the other classes? Which 
of the messages in this outline are delivered regularly by messengers? 

Mention some cases in which a knowledge of the facts in this out¬ 
line would be helpful to a messenger. 

Questions for Discussion 

1. What are the eight languages in which a telegram may be sent? 

2. Under what circumstances would a knowledge of Spanish be of 

benefit to a messenger, to a receiving clerk, to a manager? 


160 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


3. May a person file a night letter in the day time? Will it be de¬ 

livered an}^ more promptly? 

4. In which of the first four classes of telegrams is code and cipher 

language not permissible? 

5. Which classes of messages in the outline on page 135 always origin¬ 

ate with officers or employees of the telegraph company? 

6. Which classes of messages always originate with people not con¬ 

nected with the telegraph company? Why do you consider it 
important to be fully informed about these classes of messages ? 

7. If you were acting as counter clerk, how would you know whether 

a person filing a message should be allowed the DH privilege? 
If you do not know the answer to this question, you can find 
the answer to it and many other questions in the Tariff Book. 
This book is the textbook of the telegraph business. 

Lesson 3. Domestic Word Count. 

Introduction 

Counting the words in a telegram is not so easy as it sounds, for 
there are many rules to be remembered. Yet the word count is very 
important, for the company bases its charges upon a certain number 
of words to be transmitted a certain distance. What circumstances 
are there in which it is of advantage to messengers to know how to 
count the words in a telegram ? 

Certain messages are not counted before transmission, namelv, ser- 

J */7 

vice messages, wire messages, supervisors’ messages, and CND mess¬ 
ages. DII and CAK messages are counted only when they are to be 
transmitted over lines to which the privilege of free transmission does 
not extend. All other messages are counted. 

The address and signature are not counted in a domestic message, 
unless they contain extra words. Extra words in the address and 
signature are counted unless they are for the assistance of the tele¬ 
graph company. Instructions in the address regarding telephonic 
delivery is an illustration of extra words for the assistance of the tele¬ 
graph company. 

In the body of the message everything is counted. There are cer¬ 
tain important rules which govern the count. 

In order that we may understand more clearly the subject of this 
lesson, five definitions are necessary: 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


161 


There are two methods of counting words, one applying to tele¬ 
grams, the other to cables. Domestic count is applied to all domestic 
messages, that it, to telegraphic messages destined to points in the 
United States, Canada, Alaska, and Mexico. Cable count is applied 
to cable, radio, and Marconi messages. There are three kinds of words, 
exclusive of figures and characters, which may be used in a telegram 
or cablegram. First, there is the plain (dictionary) word in any of 
the eight admitted languages. Second, there is the code word which 
cannot be found in a dictionary, but which is made up of a pronounce¬ 
able combination of letters in one of the eight languages (adilo, achti). 
Cipher words are combinations of letters which cannot be pronounced 
(cssdel, fdmmu). Code and cipher words are used for two purposes— 
to conceal the real meaning of the message, and to say many words in 
one. For example, achti might mean We have purchased them for 
your account, and cssdel might mean Let no one learn of this matter. 

Dictionary words in any one of the eight admitted languages are 
counted as one word each, with certain exceptions, no matter what 
their length. Sometimes, however, two words are counted as one. 
Illustrations of these are parcel post, Western Union, cannot, can't, 
day letter, night letter; also names of countries, states, and cities, as 
North Dakota; also certain abbreviations, such as a.m., p.m., f.o.b., 
and c.o.d. 

Code and cipher words are counted at the rate of one word for 
each five letters or fraction of five letters. For example, cozf is one 
word, cemolin is two words. 

Illegal combinations, such as bando for B. and 0., firstclass for 
first class, are counted according to the number of words which they 
represent. 

Figures, decimal points, punctuation marks, and bars of division 
are counted as one word each. According to this rule, 14 would be 
counted as two words, while fourteen is only one; 2.8 is counted as 
three words, etc. 

Symbols such as %, (t , #, are counted according to the number 
of words they represent. The company prefers not to transmit sym¬ 
bols because of the possibility of error. 

Further instructions regarding domestic word count can be found 
on page 41 of this bulletin, and a complete and classified statement 
of all rules, in the Tariff Book of the telegraph company. 


162 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Questions for Discussion 

1. Would you count any of the words in the addresses given below ? 

John H. Towner or A. B. Johnson, Merced, Cal. 

Mr. and Mrs. II. W. Anderson, Phone Main 482, Elv, Nevada. 

2. How many words should be charged for in the following? 

How aryu. 

Havyu anyone. 

The billading is allriglit. 

3. Count the following. Are they in one of the admitted languages? 

Partimos esta tarde a las dos en el vapor Victoria. 

Semo selone a laida fer domestic 

4. 'Why does the company charge for code and cipher words on the 

basis of five letters to each word, when they would count a 
German word containing fifteen letters as only one word? 


Lesson 4. Delivering a Telegram. 

Introduction 

Delivering telegrams is the most important job of a. messenger. 
Like many other jobs for which we are paid, there is a right way of 
doing it and a wrong way. If you have not thought of this before, 
a single illustration will convince you that it is true. Would you for 
example, slap a telegram roughly and carelessly into the outstretched 
hand of an addressee with the impolite remark, “Telegram for you, 
old top, sign up,” or would you do it in a more gentlemanly way? 
You see, there are two ways of doing it, one wrong, the other right. 

When a messenger delivers a telegram at a private house he does 
many more things than he knows lie does, because he is not thinking 
of his actions. Most of us do many things incorrectly simply because 
we have never studied just what we do or how we should do it. 

lo help you think what it means to deliver a telegram, write two 
lists, one containing all the things a messenger brings, and the other 
just what he does. You will find the lists below, but don’t look at 
them until you have made your own lists. Then compare your lists 
with the ones below, and correct either one or the other, or both. After 
doing this, fill in the third column, telling how the messenger should 
do what he does. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


163 


What the messenger 
brings. 

What the messenger 
does. 

How the messenger should 
do each of these things. 

A message. 

Leaves his bicycle. 


A delivery sheet. 

Goes to the door. 


A pencil. 

Rings the bell. 


Delivery notices. 

Waits. 


A rate sheet. 

Removes cap. 


Telegraph blanks. 

Gets out telegram. 


A bicycle. 

Gets out pencil. 


A cap. 

Gets out delivery sheet. 


A uniform. 

Greets person (or leaves 


The telegraph company. 

\ 

notice). 

Asks necessary questions. 
Presents telegram. 
Presents delivery sheet. 
Presents pencil. 

Asks necessary questions. 
Receives back delivery 
sheet. 

Receives back pencil. 
Replaces delivery sheet. 
Replaces pencil. 

Replaces cap. 

Departs. 



Questions for Discussion 

+. 1. How should the messenger carry the messages and deliver them 
to guard against loss? To keep them clean and neat? 

2. Should he carry a pencil with a dull or broken point? How and 

when should he sharpen it ? Is there a wasteful way of sharp- 

* 

ening a pencil ? Many firms tell their employees just how many 
turns they may give the pencil sharpener. 

3. Why does the messenger carry a delivery sheet ? Why is it im¬ 

portant ? 

4. Why should the messenger leave a notice of attempted delivery? 

5. Why should messengers carry a supply of telegraph blanks? 

6. What use do messengers make of a rate sheet? 

7. Why do we call attention to the fact that a messenger brings a 

uniform with him when he delivers a telegram? 

8. What is meant when we say that the messenger brings the Western 

Union when he delivers a message? In what respect is he the 
company ? 

9. How and where should the messenger leave his bicycle? What 

difference does it make if he drops it on the lawn or on the 
sidewalk ? 

10. What difference does it make whether the messenger cuts across 
the lawn or follows the walk to the door? > 













164 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


11. What is the right way to ring the cloor bell, and greet the person ? 

12. What should the messenger say after greeting the person answer¬ 

ing the door? 

13. What should he say and do if the addressee is not in, or has moved, 

or the address is incorrect? 

14. How should he present the telegram, the delivery sheet, and the 

pencil most conveniently to the one taking the telegram? What 
should he do with his cap? 

15. How should he take back the delivery sheet and the pencil? What 

if the person absent-mindedly forgets to return the pencil ? 
What if the person refuses to sign the delivery sheet ? 

16. How should the messenger go about getting a reply in case it is 

desired? What should he do and say in case it is refused? 

17. How should the messenger make his departure? 

Lesson 5. The Lost Messenger. 

Promptly at eight o’clock the Supervisor called Messenger 145 to 
his desk and addressed him as follows, “Here is a letter for Senator 
J. B. Hartford, 1348 West Boulevard. It is important that he receive 
it as soon as possible. You ought to get there in fifteen minutes on 
your motorcycle. Report to me personally when you return; I’ll be 
at my desk until nine o ’clock. ’ ’ 

Nine o’clock came and Messenger 145 had not returned. The 
Supervisor, due at an important conference, delayed as long as he 
dared. The letter was far more important than Messenger 145 imag¬ 
ined, and the Supervisor wanted to be sure that it had reached the 
hands of the Senator. 

Returning from the conference shortly before noon, the Supervisor 
learned to his amazement that Messenger 145 had not yet been heard 
from. Telephonic communication was badly disorganized on account 
of the storm which was raging, and the Supervisor could not get con¬ 
nections with the home of the Senator or with that of the messenger. 
None of the other messengers had seen him on their various routes 
through town. Messenger 145 was a new recruit, having joined the 
force only the week before, so the Supervisor was decidedly worried 
over his failure to return. AVhat could have happened to him ? Had 
there been some accident? But that was hardly probable, since the 
Western Union tag on the messenger’s cap would most certainly have 
led to an immediate report of any accident. 

The Supervisor took a great interest in the success and welfare 
of “his boys” as he liked to call the messengers on his force. As 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


165 


twelve o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock came and still no word from 
the lost messenger, the face of the Supervisor wore an increasingly 
worried expression. Then, at three forty-five, just as the Supervisor 
was preparing to enlist the aid of the Police Department in a city¬ 
wide search, in strode mud-bespattered Messenger 145 and made his 
way directly to the desk of the Supervisor. “Well, I delivered that 
letter to the Senator; here’s his signature,” was his laconic greeting, 
as he removed his cap and took the blank from inside it. “And here’s 
the fee he insisted on paying me for the delivery,” continued Messen¬ 
ger 145, producing a crisp but badly wrinkled fifty-dollar bill from 
his pocket and laying that, too, before the Supervisor. Now let us 
listen from every nearby desk while Messenger 145 makes his report 
of the delivery of one letter, a whole day’s work. 

“I went to 1348 West Boulevard as fast as the jam downtown and 
the speed laws would let me, and the fellow who came to the door told 
me that the Senator had left in a taxi about an hour before to go to 
Holtville to see C. W. Johns. 

“I tried to ’phone you but couldn’t get the connection—a lot of 
the wires were down, they said. I though I’d be a ‘ go-getter’ and fol¬ 
low the Senator to Holtville on my own hook; you know you told me 
the letter was important, and it was only thirty miles down there. 

(Do you think lie made the right decision, under the circumstances, 
or should he have returned to the office ? Give the arguments for and 
against his action.) 

“So I set out right away for Holtville,” continued Messenger 145. 
“When I got there I found the address of C. W. Johns all right, but 
would you believe it, that human-flea—the Senator, I mean—had gone 
on by train to Carden, forty miles farther. He left just twenty min¬ 
utes before the old motorbike and I arrived. I made up my mind to 
catch that Senator if I had to follow him clear across the state.” 

(Should the messenger have turned back? Remember that he was 
thirty miles off his route, and planning to go forty miles farther.) 

“The road to Holtville was not very good, and I made no speed 
that far, but from Holtville to Carden the road was good, no detours 
to make, and we burned it up. I was going along at about thirty-five 
miles per when I suddenly decided to try to overtake the Senator’s 
train and deliver the letter to him before he could get away again. 
The train had a head start of twenty minutes, and I knew it would 
not go slower than thirty-five miles an hour; but it was worth trying. 
I won’t tell you how fast I traveled after that train, because it was 
some few miles past the speed limit. 


166 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


“Five miles this side of Carden I overtook that train. Then just 
as I had to slow down to enter the town, my gasoline gave out. I 
wheeled the machine to a nearby garage and inquired the way to the 
railroad station. I set out on the run, for it was several blocks away. 
But I made it in time! As the passengers came off I stood by the exit 
calling, ‘Message for Senator Hartford! Message for Senator Hart¬ 
ford ! ’ Pretty soon he came up and I handed him the letter. 

“ ‘Well, young man,’ he said, while he was signing the receipt, 
‘you look as if you had been traveling.’ I told him that I had fol¬ 
lowed him from his home to Holtville, and from Holtville to Carden, 
overtaking the train, and waiting for him at the station. While I was 
talking the Senator had opened the letter and glanced at it. The 
charges marked on the receipt were two dollars, but he insisted on 
giving me this bill. He said it was well worth fifty dollars to him, 
and a lot of things like that.” 

‘ ‘ I took time to get my lunch and gasoline for my motorcycle, then 
started back, and here I am. ’ ’ 

The Supervisor had listened without a word to this report. When 
Messenger 145 had finished his story, he said, “I’m glad you got. 
back safely, Jack. Tomorrow is the last day of the month—take a 
vacation and get a good rest. Report to me at eight o’clock on the 
first and we’ll talk over your absence.” Then he filed the receipt 
containing the Senator’s signature, and locked the bill in his desk. 

What do you think happened to Messenger 145 when he reported 
on the first, after his day off? Was he rewarded with a double salary 
for the month on account of “Valuable Service to the Company and 
to the State,” or was he given a severe reprimand for poor judgment 
and told to read the rules? Write your own final paragraph to the 
story. 

Lesson 6. The Journey of a Telegram. 

1. Mrs. Anderson comes into a branch office in Los Angeles to send a 

telegram to her daughter Mrs. Williams in San Francisco. 

2. What clerk waits on her in the Los Angeles branch office? What 

questions does this clerk ask Mrs. Anderson? 

3. To whom does this clerk take the message written by Mrs. Ander¬ 

son ? 

4. Tell what happens from the time this latter clerk receives the mess¬ 

age until it is on its way over the wire to San Francisco. 

What happens in the main office in Los Angeles? 

What becomes of the original message written by Mrs. 

Anderson ? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


167 


5. When the message is received in the main office at San Francisco, 

trace in detail the steps in the subsequent procedure, assuming: 

(a) That the message may be telephoned. 

(b) That the message may be telephoned, but that the ad¬ 

dressee is not at home. 

(c) That the message may be telephoned, but that the ad¬ 

dressee also wishes to get possession of the message. 

( d ) That the addressee is to pay the tolls and has (and has 

not) an account with the San Francisco office. 

(e) That the addressee refuses to pay the tolls. 

(/) That the message must be delivered by messenger; that 
the messenger does not find the addressee at home. 

( g ) That the address reads “Bosh St.” (probably Bush 
Street). 

6. What clerical work is made necessary by the message, both in Los 

Angeles and in San Francisco? 

Lesson 7. Giving Additional Service. 

1. The firm of Jordan and Barker called up one morning to ask the 

time. The wide-awake girl who answered the call and gave the 
desired information saw an opportunity to render additional 
service to her company. She told her supervisor that Jordan 
and Barker had called up and asked the correct time. The 
supervisor passed the information on to the Commercial De¬ 
partment. A representative of this department visited Jordan 
and Barker. This firm no longer finds it necessary to inquire 
the correct time. As a result of the alertness of the girl who 
answered their call, they now have a Western Union clock in 
their office. They get the correct time every hour—and the 
Western Union company has increased its business. 

2. Can you recall other instances of girls rendering similar additional 

service ? 

3. Do you think that rendering additional service is connected in any 

way with rapid promotion? 

4. A messenger was given four telegrams to deliver. Three were 

delivered without difficulty. On going to the address of the 
fourth, he found that the addressee had moved to another house 
two blocks off his route. What should he have done? 


168 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


5. Delivery of the telegram would have meant additional effort, loss 

of time, and no more pay for the messenger. In what respects 
would it have resulted in a saving of expense to the company ? 
Would it have benefitted anyone else? 

6. Tell how his action in delivering the fourth telegram would benefit 

the person to whom the message was addressed. 

7. Might his action also have benefitted the sender of the telegram ? 

How ? 

8. The policy of hundreds of successful business houses has come to be 

More and Better Service to our Patrons. ? ? This means ser¬ 
vice for which they receive no extra pay. The station where 
you get free air for your bicycle tires is one illustration of this 
policy. Name several other illustrations of this policy of more 
and better service. 

9. How can you, as an employee of a telegraph company, render 

additional service to the public and the company ? 


Lesson 8. English. 

Text reference: The Telegraph, Its History and Present Develop- 
wient, by the Western Union Telegraph Company. 

Reading assignment: Classes of Service, pages 21-23. 

Try to remember the following as you read: 

(a) The four classes of telegrams and how they differ. 

(b) The four classes of cablegrams and how they differ. 

(c) The different kinds of messenger service. 

Production assignment: 

(a) You have just delivered a telegram which requires an 

answer. The lady writes the answer, which contains 20 
words. She is going to send it as a full-rate day mess- 
ag(. Suggest to her that unless it is very urgent she 
might like to send it as a night letter. Explain to her 
the night letter service and its advantages. 

(b) Tell a friend of yours who is not in the employ of the 

telegraph company how he can send a bunch of roses 
by messenger to his mother on her birthday. She lives 
in Denver and he is working in San Jose. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


169 


Lesson 9. English. 

Text reference: The Telegraph, Its History and Present Develop¬ 
ment, by the Western Union Telegraph Company. 

Reading assignment: Read carefully the article on pages 14 and 
15, entitled “Standard Time.” 

Try to remember the following as you read: 

(a) The places where the Naval Observatory transmit¬ 
ting clocks are located. 

(h) When the time is transmitted. 

(c) How the time is transmitted. 

(d) How the rented and purchased clocks are connected 

to the master clocks to form a time circuit. 

(e) How the master clocks are regulated. 

(/) How and when the master clocks correct the rented 
clocks. 

Production assignment: 

(a) A man to whom you are delivering a telegram in a down¬ 

town office asks you the time. Perhaps he should have 
a Western Union clock. Tell him how cheaply a clock 
can be rented, and suggest that you will have the man¬ 
ager get in touch with him. 

(b) - The man asks you to explain the time service a little more 

fully. Tell him how the service is handled. 

Citizenship Group 

The first two groups take cognizance of the fact that the messen¬ 
ger is employed to discharge certain duties in a certain occupation. 
Group three looks upon the messenger as a junior citizen in a democ¬ 
racy, as one who will soon be called upon to assume the duties and 
responsibilities of adult citizenship. 

The aim of this group of lessons is to show the messenger that he 
has certain duties and responsibilities as a junior citizen, and that 
the fact of his employment as a messenger enables him to discharge 
the duties and assume the responsibilities of • citizenship in peculiar 
ways. 


170 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


List of Lessons 

1. The Meaning- of Citizenship. 

2. The Demands of Citizenship. 

3. Preparation through Education. 

4. Preparation through Physical Training. 

5. Contribution through Work. 

6. Contribution through Thrift. 

7. Contribution through Cooperation. 

8. Contribution through Participation. 

9. The Meaning of Membership. 


Additional Suggested Lessons 

1. Obedience to Law and Custom. 

2. The Importance of Being a Producer. 

3. Progress through Lawful and Orderly Change. 

4. The Privileges of the Individual. 

5. The Democracy of Labor. 

6. The Duty to Vote. 

Lesson 1. The Meaning of Citizenship. 

1. The distinction between a citizen and a subject. 

2. Why people prefer to be citizens rather than subjects. 

3. Membership in a state compared with membership in a boys’ 

baseball team. 

4. Loyalty to a state compared with loyalty to a team. 

5. Loyalty to the company a test of loyalty to the state. 

6. What the company has done for its junior employees in ful¬ 

fillment of its obligation to them and to the state. 

Lesson 2. The Demands of Citizenship. 

1. The demands of adult citizenship. 

2. Why idlers, vagrants, or law-breakers are not good citizens. 

3. The demands of junior citizenship. 

4. The necessity for a trained mind, and a trained and healthy 

body. 

5. What the state has done for the physical protection of its junior 

citizens. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


171 


Lesson 3. Preparation through Education. 

1. Reasons why universal education is not essential to a monarchy. 

2. Reasons why universal education is necessary to a democracy. 

3. The percentage of illiterate people in our country and in our 

state. 

4. What the state is endeavoring to do for the education of its 

junior citizens. 

5. Going to school a duty to the state. 

6. Why the state has the right to say how long a boy or girl should 

go to school. 

Lesson 4. Preparation through Physical Training. 

1. The necessity for physical fitness. 

2. Why we are proud of muscular development. 

3. Why a strong body used to be necessary. 

4. Why a strong body is still necessary though primitive condi¬ 

tions have changed. 

5. How the physical exercise of the messenger can become a great 

asset to him. 

Lesson 5. Contribution through Work. 

To contribute is to give with others for a. common purpose. 

1. Name some common purposes of citizens in a democracy. 

2. Personal reasons for work. 

3. Public reasons for work. 

4. Why do we have homes for the poor? 

5. How do people happen to find it necessary to go to homes for 

the poor? 

6. Who clothes and feeds the people in these homes? 

7. What other classes of people who cannot care for themselves 

must the public provide for? 

8. Why should a rich man work? 

9. Why do most criminals come from a class of people who do not 

work ? 

10. Name some of the ways in which junior employees of telegraph 
companies can contribute to the common good. 


172 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Lesson 6. Contribution through Thrift. 

Thrift means economical management. 

A thrifty person is one who is careful and saving in the manage¬ 
ment of his resources; one who is not wasteful; one who saves 
part of his income. 

To save first and spend afterward is the only sure way to save. 

1. Do you know how many thousands of boys and girls in your 

city have a savings account? How did they get their sav¬ 
ings accounts? 

2. Do you know of boys and girls in your city who have bought 

real estate or bonds with their savings ? Why do they do 

this ? 

3. What provisions do the banks and the government make for 

saving small amounts at a time ? 

4. What reasons are there for not spending all we earn? 

5. Do you know how much one should save out of a salary of fifteen 

dollars a week? 

6. It is said that one who cannot save cannot succeed. Why is 

«/ 

this true? 

7. What is the effect of a thrifty young business man in the com¬ 

munity ? 

Lesson 7. Contribution through Cooperation. 

To cooperate means to work together. 

There is no such thing in business, in pleasure, or in civic and 
national affairs as “playing a lone hand” or “going it alone.” 
One would have to live alone on an imknown island of the sea 
in order to get along without help from others. Because there 
are so many all around us, the daily actions of each one have 
some influence upon the actions of the rest of us. If everyone 
were working against everyone else, you can imagine what con¬ 
dition of affairs would result. Very few of us would be able 
to do anything worth while for ourselves or for the community. 
So it is best for us. and best for the community if we work with 
each other, instead of against each other. In fact, the only 
way a person can accomplish anything is by cooperating, by 
working with others. Even rivals in business cooperate—work 
together—in many ways. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


173 


1. Think of some ways in which your own company cooperates 

with rival companies. Why does the company do this? 

2. Name some ways in which your company cooperates with the 

city, the state, and the nation. 

3. Can you think of any ways in which nations themselves cooper¬ 

ate with other nations? Why do they do so? 

4. In what ways can a messenger cooperate with the telegraph 

company ? 

5. In what ways can messengers cooperate with each other? 

6. In what ways can messengers, as junior citizens, cooperate with 

their communities? 

Lesson 8. Contribution through Participation. 

Introduction 

Do you know what it means to participate in anything? We speak 
of participation in a game, or a play, or in the affairs of a community, 
such as a city, or town. The first half of the word gives you the clue, 
doesn’t it? And you know that to participate means to take part in 
what others are doing. People who are working or playing together 
are trying to get something done. They are trying to build a house, 
or win a game, perhaps. When we work with them we share in what 
they are doing and are partly responsible for what is done. 

When we see people doing something, as, for example, eating candy 
or ice cream, playing a game of ball, or preparing for a trip into the 
country, do we prefer to take part in what they are doing, or stand 
aside and look on? 

A game is a small thing. Only a few can play it at one time and 
place. A business is often a bigger thing in which many take part. 
A community (a place where people live together) is a much bigger 
thing, because all of us are in it. We all play a part in the community 
whether we know it or not. 

In the matter of traffic regulations, how can we prevent accidents 
to ourselves and others; how can we prevent injury to property; how 
can we set an example for others to follow ? In other words, how can 
we do something for the good of the community? 

If any one of us, taking part in a game of baseball, should “lie 
down on the job” and let the other fellows do the work, what would 
happen to the game ? Because there are so few people in the ball game, 
the “quitter” is found out almost at once. Why is it that in a com¬ 
munity we don’t discover the “quitters,” the people who don’t play 
their part, more quickty ? 


174 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Because there are so many in a community and because it is so easy 
to let the other fellows play the community game, we are all apt to 
shirk a little, to “lie down on the job,” to try to “get by” without 
doing our part. In a game of ball we couldn’t “get by.” We would 
be marked as “quitters.” In the community game we can “get by” 
generally without being noticed, but we are “quitters” just the same 
if we fail to play the game the best we know how. 

Why is letting the other fellow do the work bad in a game ? Why 
is it worse in business ? Why is it worst of all in a community ? Is it 
not true that if we are not “quitters” we will all try to play the 
community game the best we know how, just as we would if we were 
taking part in a championship ball game? 

Questions for Discussion 

1. What are some of the ways in which men and women participate 

in the affairs of their community? 

2. What are some of the ways in which junior citizens can participate 

in the affairs of their community? 

3. How will a study of the problems of citizenship help a junior citizen 

to become a better senior citizen? 

4. What are the ways in which the problems of citizenship for em¬ 

ployees of a telegraph company differ from the problems of 
boys engaged in raising chickens, for example? 

Lesson 9. The Meaning of Membership. 

A member is one of the persons in a family, firm, society, or com¬ 
munity. Members have obligations and privileges. 

1. You all know some of the things a member of the family is sup¬ 

posed to do. What are they? 

2. Does a member of a firm have any duties similar to those of 

a member of a family? 

3. A member of a club or society receives certain benefits and 

privileges. Name some of the things he ordinarily does in 
return for the benefits and privileges. In what way is a 
club or society similar to a family? 

4. You and I, as members of a community, receive many benefits 

and enjoy many privileges. Name several of these. Which 
do you consider the most important ? Which would you be 
willing to do without? 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


175 


5. What are we supposed to do in return for the benefits and 

privileges of community life ? 

6. Where does the money for the family expenses come from? 

What is it used for? 

7. What are some of the important items of expense for the com¬ 

munity? Where does this money come from? How does 
the community get it ? Who contributes for the junior citi¬ 
zens? What can junior citizens contribute? 

8. Mention a few of the ways in which community expenses are 

often made higher than they should be? What are some 
of the ways in which junior citizens may improve these con¬ 
ditions? Is it to their own interest as workers and as citi¬ 
zens to do this? 

9. How would you describe a good member of a family? Of a 

community? Of a telegraph company? 

Safety, Health, and Hygiene Group 

The aim of this group is to emphasize the problems of safety, 
health, and hygiene, which are of particular importance when con¬ 
sidered in connection with the messenger’s job. 

List of Lessons 

1. Good Health as a Factor in Success. 

2. The Value of a Neat Appearance. 

3. The Importance of Proper Food. 

4. How to Select a Good Meal. 

5. The Human Walking Mechanism. 

6. Care of the Feet. 

7. Care of the Hands. 

8. Care of the Teeth. 

9. Sleep, Pest, and Recreation. 

10. Forms of Recreation. 

11. “ Safety First! ” 

Additional Suggested Lessons 

1. Correct Posture for Cyclists. 

2. Dangers of Over-exertion for Cyclists. 

3. How to Walk. 


176 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Lesson 1. Good Health as a Factor in Success. 

1. The importance of good health in the social world. 

2. The importance of good health in the business world. 

(a) In getting a job. 

(&) In holding a job. 

(c) In seeking promotion. 

3. The importance of individual good health to the community. 

Lesson 2. The Value of a Neat Appearance. 

1. The meaning of a neat appearance in terms of: 


(a) Clothing (suit, hat, shoes). 

( b ) Face. 

(c) Hands. 


( d ) Hair. 

( e ) Postures. 
(/) Bearing. 


2. The importance of presenting a neat appearance. 

(a) For your own sake. 

(b) For the company. 

(c) For the patrons of the company. 

Lesson 3. The Importance of Proper Food. 

1. The function of food. 

“We do not live to eat, we eat to live.” 

2. The effects of various foods. 

3. Appropriate food for summer and for winter. 

4. Appropriate food for pedestrians and cyclists, and for those 


who exercise regularly. 


Lesson 4. How to Select a Good Meal. 

1. The meaning of a balanced ration. 

2. Proper combinations for breakfast, for the noon meal, and for 

the evening meal. 

3. The relation of cost to nutritive values. 

Lesson 5. The Human Walking Mechanism. 

1. Diagram showing thigh bone, kneecap, shin bone and fibula, 

ankle bones, bones of the metatarsus (instep), and the 
phalanges, tendon of Achilles, anular ligament of the ankle, 
flexor and extensor muscles. 

2. The function of each of these parts of the walking mechanism. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


177 


3. Weak arches. 

Causes, indications, remedial exercises, and value of sup¬ 
ports. 

4. The tendon in the heel. 

What causes trouble in this tendon, indications of trouble, 
and remedies. 

5. Soreness of the muscles. 

Causes of soreness, and how to treat it. 

Lesson 6. Care of the Feet. 

1. Shoes. 

(а) The effect of a shoe which is too large. 

(б) The effect of a shoe which is too small. 

(c) The effect of a shoe which is of improper shape. 

(d) The importance of “breaking in” new shoes. 

(e) The importance of proper lacing. 

(/) The effects of high heels. 

(g) The beneficial effect of oiling shoes in winter time. 

(h) The beneficial effect of sprinkling talcum powder or 

“foot ease” in the shoes. 

(i) Dangers in fitting the foot only when one is sitting. 

2. Socks. 

(a) The importance of socks that fit properly. If too loose 

they wrinkle; if too tight they bind the feet. 

(b) Where a darn in a sock is apt to cause trouble. 

(c) Why socks with holes in them should not be worn. 

(d) The importance of frequent changes of socks. 

(e) The danger of colors which run. 

(/) Proper socks for pedestrians in winter and in summer. 
(g) Why the garters should not be too tight. 

3. Hygiene of the feet. 

(a) The great importance of bathing the feet every morn¬ 

ing or evening, especially when on messenger duty. 

(b) The proper treatment for perspiring feet. 

(c) The proper treatment for cold feet. 

(d) The cause and treatment of chilblains. 


178 


SUGGESTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL 


Lesson 7. Care of the Hands. 

1. Effects of wind, cold, rain and sun on the hands. 

(a) How to treat chapped hands. 

(&) How to treat severe sunburn. 

2. The importance of clean and well-kept hands for one who 

handles papers or messages of any kind. 

3. The importance of clean hands in making a good impression 

upon employers and patrons. 

4. The value executives place upon clean, well-kept hands. 

Lesson 8. Care of the Teeth.. 

1. Proper dentifrices, tooth brushes, and dental flosses. 

2. Proper methods of using these. 

3. Importance of daily care of the teeth. 

4. Causes of cavities and decay and the importance of a prompt 

visit to the dentist. 

5. Importance of periodic inspection and cleaning of the teeth by 

a dentist. 

6. The functions of the different kinds of teeth. 

7. The relation of good teeth to good health. 

8. Well-kept teeth as a factor in success. 

9. Dental proverbs. 

“He that fights his teeth’s decay, 

Will live to bite another day.” 

“A fool and his teeth are soon parted.” 

“The early brush catches the germ.” 

“A tooth in the gum is worth two in the plate.” 


Lesson 9. Sleep, Rest, and Recreation. 

1. The origin of the expression “asleep at the switch.” Why the 
' man happened to be asleep at the switch. 

2. Dangers to the public from messengers whose brains have been 

dulled by lack of sleep. 

3. Results of the loss of sleep. 

4. Why people must sleep. 

5. Why people must have rest and recreation. 


LESSONS FOR MESSENGERS 


179 


Lesson 10. Forms of Recreation. 

1. Recreation is defined as “refreshment of the strength and 

spirits after toil.” 

2. Make as long a list as possible of the different forms of recre¬ 

ation in your city. 

3. Classify the above list into two groups, placing in one group 

those forms of recreation which require effort, and in the 
other group those which do not require effort. 

4. Many people either walk or ride a bicycle for recreation. Why 

are these forms of activity not recreation for a messenger? 

5. If toil for one is recreation for another, what is the difference 

between toil and recreation ? 

6. Which forms of recreation are considered most beneficial for 

office workers, and which for outdoor workers? 

Lesson 11. “Safety First!” 

1. What is the most common traffic accident which you have seen? 

What is usually the cause of this accident? How could it 
have been avoided in most cases? 

2. Name some of the important traffic regulations in force in your 

city. Endeavor to classify them under such headings as 
Passing, Turning, Slowing Down, Sounding the Horn, Stop¬ 
ping, Parking, Speeding, Lighting, Arm Signaling, Conduct 
in Accidents, etc. 

3. Which of the above regulations should messengers on bicycles 

be careful to obey? 

4. Wh ich bureau of the Police Department is charged with enforc¬ 

ing traffic regulations? Do you know of any local traffic 
regulations which should be more rigidly enforced? 

5. Are there any local traffic regulations which should be changed 

in the interests of pedestrians and bicyclists? Would a 
request to the proper officials, signed by all members of the 
messenger force, be effective in bringing about the desired 
change? 

6. How can a messenger fulfill the obligations of a good citizen in 

the matter of traffic regulations ? 

7. Name as many reasons as possible why messengers, as good citi¬ 

zens, should know and obey traffic regulations, and promote 
the Safety First campaign. 


LIST OF PUBLICATIONS OF THE DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL 
EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNA 


PART-TIME EDUCATION SERIES 

Bulletin No. 1. Syllabus of an Introductory Course on Part-time Education. 
January, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Lesson Plans and Reports for use in connection with the Introductory Course 
on Part-time Education. (Out of print.) 

Leaflet No. 1. A First Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in Part- 
time Schools. August, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Leaflet No. 2. The Work of Coordination in Part-time Education. November, 
1920. (Out of print.) 

Bulletin No. 2. An Analysis of Department Store Occupations for Juniors. 
December, 1920. 

Bulletin No. 3. Coordination in Part-time Education. March, 1921. (A revision 
of Leaflet No. 2.) 

Bulletin No. 4. An Analysis of the Work of Juniors in Banks. May, 1921. 

Buletin No. 5. An Analysis of Clerical Positions for Juniors in Railway Trans¬ 
portation. August, 1921. 

Leaflet No. 3. Selected Reading List for Administrators and Teachers in Part- 
time Schools. September, 1921. 

Bulletin No. 6. Part-time and Continuation Schools Abroad—Reprints. Novem¬ 
ber, 1921. 

Bulletin No. 7. The Work of Juniors in the Telegraph Service. April, 1922. 

Leaflet No. 4. Recreational Reading for Part-time and Continuation Schools. 
March, 1922. 


Part-time News Notes No. 1. Three Months of Coordination in the Oakland 
Schools. -November, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 2. Progress in Part-time Education in Los Angeles. 
December, 1920. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 3. The Work of the Director of Part-time Education. 
January, 1921. 

Part-time Notes No. 4. The Application Blank for Enrollment in Part-time 
Schools. A Statistical Study. April, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 5. Junior Employees in the Retail Diw Business 
May, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 6. Outline Course in Citizenship Training for Part- 
time Schools. September, 1921. (Out of print.) 

Part-time News Notes No. 7. Items fro A Part-time Schools in California 
February, 1922. 











































































































































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